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In its report on the outlook for the global economy released Monday, the IMF revised downward its forecasts, predicting a growth of the global economy of 3.5% in 2019 and 3.6% in 2020, down 0.2% and 0.1% from last October's forecast.
The gloomy outlook highlights growing concerns over US-China tensions over the trade war and the potential crisis that may arise as a result of Brexit.
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said: "After two years of strong expansion, growth in the global economy is slower than expected and risks are increasing."
She urged policymakers to prepare for a "significant slowdown".
The planned downward revision also reflects Europe's weaknesses, as Germany's problems with the new car fuel emission standards start to increase, while the recent budget stalemate between Rome and the EU EU begins to make its way.
The Sino-US trade war worries
Global slowdown concerns have left markets uncertain for some time, forcing US Federal Reserve to suspend interest rate hike as investors fear rising trade tensions between China and the United States .
The IMF also took into account the weakness of Chinese data released on Monday, indicating a slowdown in the Chinese economy in the fourth quarter, slowed by pending US tariffs.
The IMF has reduced its growth forecast for the euro area while maintaining its forecast of 2.5% expansion in the United States in 2019.
China's growth forecast has been maintained at 6.2 percent in 2019 and 2020, but the IMF said economic activity may not meet expectations if trade tensions persist.
"As we saw in 2015-2016, concerns about the health of the Chinese economy can lead to large-scale and brutal sales in financial markets and commodities, which put its trading partners , exporters of commodities and other emerging markets under pressure, "said the IMF. in a report.
The IMF said that Britain is expected to grow 1.5% in 2019, based on an orderly exit badumption from the EU.
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