Geopolitics, IMF forecasts and China

The flare up of geopolitical instability in Israel and Gaza has led investors to re-examine the outlook for the world economy over the past few days. But the release of the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook publication also grabbed some of the financial headlines though whether its staff additionally need to now re-examine that outlook remains to be seen. In our charts this week we take a look at the following:

·         The IMF’s latest forecasts

·         The Blue Chip consensus for 2024

·         The longer-term US consensus for inflation

·         Oil prices and consumer confidence

·         Global current account imbalances

·         China’s capital flows