IMF cuts global growth forecasts, says crisis may be near

The International Monetary Fund trimmed back its 2020 global growth forecasts due to sharper-than-expected slowdowns in India and other emerging markets but said a U.S.-China trade deal was another sign that trade and manufacturing activity may soon bottom out.

The IMF said global growth would reach 3.3% in 2020, compared to 2.9% in 2019, which was the slowest pace since the financial crisis a decade ago. Estimates for both years were cut by 0.1 percentage point from forecasts made in October.

Growth will improve slightly to 3.4% in 2021, but that estimate, too, was cut by 0.2 percentage point from October, the Washington-based international crisis lender said.

The reductions reflect the IMF’s reassessment of economic prospects for a number of major emerging markets, notably India, where domestic demand has slowed more sharply than expected amid a contraction of credit and stress in the non-bank sector.

The Fund said that an easing of tensions between the United States and China, which had stunted GDP growth in 2019, had boosted market sentiment, amid “tentative” signs that trade and manufacturing were bottoming out.

“These early signs of stabilization could persist and eventually reinforce the link between still-resilient consumer spending and improved business spending,” the IMF said. The fund has cited uncertainty over tariffs and its negative effects on business investment as the biggest factor in limiting growth.

“However, few signs of turning points are yet visible in global macroeconomic data,” the Fund added.

Via Reuters