The International Monetary Fund has trimmed its forecasts for 2008 and 2009 world economic growth in a note prepared for a meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) nations, a G20 finance official said today.
The IMF is forecasting world growth this year of 3.9 per cent, down from an estimate of 4.1 per cent in its World Economic Outlook last month, said the official, who is involved in planning for the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.
It forecasts 2009 growth of 3.7 per cent, down from 3.9 per cent.
The IMF left unchanged its forecast for US growth this year at 1.3 per cent, said the official. It shaved its forecast for 2009 US growth to 0.7 per cent from 0.8 per cent.
The IMF trimmed its forecast for euro zone growth this year to 1.4 per cent from 1.7 per cent in July. It estimated 2009 growth at 0.9 per cent, down from 1.2 per cent.
Deputy finance ministers from the G20, a group of emerging and industrialised economies, will meet in Rio de Janeiro next weekend.
Reuters