~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (6)

UK constrained by high interest rates, price rises and staff shortages but thinktank offers optimistic outlook for global economyThe UK will be the worst-performing economy in the G7 next year, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, as high interest rates and the lingering effects of last year’s surge in inflation weigh.In a downbeat assessment, the Paris-based thinktank also downgraded its forecast...

In annual letter to investors, Jamie Dimon warns ‘wars in Ukraine and Middle East could become far worse’The boss of the US bank JP Morgan has warned that the world could be facing the most dangerous moment since the second world war, putting lives and economic growth at risk.In his annual letter to investors, Jamie Dimon said the world had been “generally on a...

As the organisation’s anniversary nears, borders around the world are closing againWhen trade ministers gathered in the Moroccan city of Marrakech 30 years ago this month to sign the agreement creating the World Trade Organization (WTO), the mood was celebratory. The Berlin Wall had come down only recently, communism had collapsed, and there was optimistic talk of how the body would prise open new...

Bulgaria’s ‘eternal optimist’ in favour with European finance ministers after first five-year stint encompassing Covid and UkraineThe head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, will run for a second five-year term after being nominated by a string of European countries to lead the global lender.The Bulgarian economist and champion of policies to tackle the climate crisis will be given the support of her...

Beijing must be more ready to support countries facing distress, says deputy chief economistChina holds the key to speeding up debt relief and ending the “silent crisis” that is holding back attempts to tackle poverty in the world’s poorest countries, a senior World Bank official has said.Ayhan Kose, the Bank’s deputy chief economist, said Beijing needed to be more active in negotiations to provide...

Plunge in consumer prices has fuelled calls for a stimulus package – yet Beijing may stick to the new normal of lower growth• China consumer prices plunge at fastest rate for 15 yearsChina’s economy has gone from bad to worse – and it is only February.Figures released on Thursday showed consumer prices fell by 0.8% in January compared with a year earlier, outstripping economists’...