WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday (Oct 12) said forecasts for the global economy were “somewhat less dire” as wealthy countries and China rebounded more quickly than expected from coronavirus lockdowns but warned that the outlook was worsening for many emerging markets.

The IMF forecast a 2020 global contraction of 4.4 per cent in its latest World Economic Outlook, an improvement over a 5.2 per cent contraction predicted in June, when business closures reached their peak. It is still the worst economic crisis since the 1930s Great Depression, the Fund said.

The global economy will return to growth of 5.2 per cent in 2021, the IMF said, but the rebound will be slightly weaker than forecast in June, partly due to the extreme difficulties for many emerging markets and slowing reopening momentum as the virus continues to spread.

The forecasts reflect revised foreign exchange weightings for purchasing power parity that slightly increase the influence of advanced economies on global output.

‘POOR ARE GETTING POORER’

IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said some US$12 trillion (S$16 trillion) in fiscal support and unprecedented monetary easing from governments and central banks helped to limit the damage, but employment remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with low-income workers, youth and women hardest hit.

“The poor are getting poorer, with close to 90 million people expected to fall into extreme deprivation this year,” Mr Gopinath said in a blog posting. “The ascent out of this calamity is likely to be long, uneven, and highly uncertain. It is essential that fiscal and monetary policy support are not prematurely withdrawn.”

The IMF said that the United States will see a 4.3 per cent contraction in GDP during 2020, considerably less severe than the 8 per cent contraction forecast in June.

But the US rebound in 2021 will be somewhat smaller at 3.1 per cent – a forecast that assumes no additional federal aid beyond around US$3 trillion approved by Congress in March.

The euro zone’s economy will shrink by 8.3 per cent in 2020, an improvement from a 10.2 per cent contraction predicted in June, but there is wide divergence within the group. Export powerhouse Germany will see a contraction of 6.0 per cent in 2020, while Spain’s economy, more dependent on tourism, will contract 12.8 per cent. The euro zone will resume growth of 5.2 per cent in 2021, the IMF said.

CHINA TO SEE GROWTH

China, which saw a strong early reopening and rebound from the pandemic, will be the only economy to show positive growth in 2020, of 1.9 per cent – nearly double the rate predicted in June – and reach 8.2 per cent growth in 2021, its highest rate in nearly a decade, the IMF said.

China had reopened most of its economy by April and has seen strong demand for exports of its medical supplies and technology products needed to aid remote working, the IMF said.

But emerging markets other than China will see a 2020 contraction of 5.7 per cent, worse than the 5.0 per cent predicted in June. The IMF said the virus was continuing to spread in large countries, including India and Indonesia, and these economies are far more dependent on hard-hit sectors, including tourism and commodities, as well as on remittances and other sources of external finance.

The IMF also warned that economic “scarring” from job loss, bankruptcies, debt problems and lost schooling will hold back medium-term global growth after 2021 to about 3.5 per cent, with a cumulative loss in output of up to US$28 trillion from 2020 to 2025 compared with pre-pandemic growth paths.

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