The US-China trade war will cut 2019 global growth to its slowest pace since the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Tuesday, but said output would rebound if their dueling tariffs were removed, reported Reuters.
The IMF said its latest World Economic Outlook projections show 2019 GDP growth at 3%, down from 3.2% in July. The forecast set a gloomy backdrop for the IMF and World Bank annual meetings this week in Washington, the first for the Fund’s new managing director, Kristalina Georgieva.
Without a nearly simultaneous easing of monetary policy by major central banks, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said global growth would be half a percentage point lower in 2019 — at 2.5%, teetering on the edge of widespread recession.
“The weakness in growth is driven by a sharp deterioration in manufacturing activity and global trade, with higher tariffs and prolonged trade policy uncertainty damaging investment and demand for capital goods,” said Gopinath.
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