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IMF chief says coronavirus wipes out hopes for stronger growth in 2020

5 March 2020 11:08 (UTC+04:00)
IMF chief says coronavirus wipes out hopes for stronger growth in 2020

By Trend

The global spread of the novel coronavirus will wipe out any hope of stronger growth in 2020, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday, adding a third of the Fund’s 189 member countries were now affected, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The Fund now expects 2020 world growth will be below the 2.9% rate for 2019, and revised forecasts will be issued in the coming weeks, Georgieva said at a news briefing.

The changed forecast would represent a more than 0.4 percentage point drop from the 3.3% growth the IMF had estimated for 2020 in January as U.S.-China trade tensions eased.

“Global growth in 2020 will dip below last year’s levels, but how far it will fall and how long the impact will be is still difficult to predict,” Georgieva said.

She declined to say whether the escalating health crisis could push the world into a recession.

The IMF is making available $50 billion in emergency funding that includes low- and no-interest loans that could aid poorer countries with weak health systems respond to the epidemic, she said after a call with the IMF’s steering committee.

The 24-member International Monetary and Financial Committee in a statement called on the Fund “to use all its available financing instruments to help member countries in need.”

Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass underscored the importance of coordinated action to limit the economic and human impact of the virus.

The World Bank on Tuesday said it was providing $12 billion in immediate funds to help developing countries improve their health services, disease surveillance, and access to medical supplies.

Malpass said this includes ensuring that local businesses have access to working capital as public resources shift to deal with the health crisis.

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