By Gita Gopinath, Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department at the IMF; Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, Deputy Director in the Research Department of the IMF; and Malhar Nabar, Division Chief of the World Economic Studies Division in the IMF's Research Department
Global growth this year recorded its weakest pace since the global financial crisis a decade ago, reflecting common influences across countries and country-specific factors.
Rising trade barriers and associated uncertainty weighed on business sentiment and activity globally. In some cases (advanced economies and China), these developments magnified cyclical and structural slowdowns already under