IMF managing director Mr Rodrigo Rato predicts world economic growth of around 4.6 per cent in 2004 and 2005, according to an interview in a Spanish newspaper interview today.
"We see the whole world economy growing robustly around 4.6 per cent during this year and, very probably, next year as well," Rato was quoted as saying in national newspaper ABCin an interview that was credited to El Comercio, a newspaper in Gijon in the north of Spain.
The IMF predicted world expansion of 4.6 per cent in its spring outlook, and slight variations of the IMF forecast have appeared since then.
The German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitungyesterday reported the IMF will raise its forecast for 2004 global economic growth to 4.9 per cent in its autumn economic outlook to be published at the end of September.
The IMF plans to stick with its spring forecast for 2005 of 4.4 per cent growth, the Sueddeutschesaid in an advance copy of an article to appear in today's edition. The newspaper cited unidentified IMF sources and a preliminary version of the autumn report.
On a tour of Africa earlier this month, Mr Rato said global economic growth this year could top the IMF's April forecast of 4.6 per cent.