Thursday 29 January 2009

Grim expectations for UK economy

There have been more gloomy predictions about the state of the UK economy. The burden of UK government debt will remain above pre-crisis levels for 20 years, says the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), a think tank. In its annual Green Budget, the IFS says that the government will need to raise taxes or cut spending by an extra £20bn to repair the public finances. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund predicts that the UK will see its economy shrink by 2.8% in 2009. It also expects the UK economy to grow by just 0.2% in 2010.

World economic growth is set to fall to just 0.5% this year, its lowest rate since World War II, warns the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In October, the IMF had predicted world output would increase by 2.2% in 2009. It now projects the UK, which recently entered recession, will see its economy shrink by 2.8% next year, the worst contraction among advanced nations. The IMF says financial markets remain under stress and the global economy has taken a "sharp turn for the worse".
Watch the IMF press conference highlighting the key aspects of the report.

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