fbpx

Type to search

IMF Chops Asia Growth Forecast, Flags Stagflation Risks

Inflation in Asia is starting to pick up at a time China’s economic slowdown is adding to pressure on regional growth, senior IMF official says


IMF logo
The IMF said in a statement its executive board had determined the weighting based on trade and financial market developments from 2017 to 2021. Photo: Reuters.

 

Asia faces the risk of stagflation – high inflation, low economic growth and high unemployment – stemming from the war in Ukraine, spiking commodity costs and China’s slowdown, a senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official warned on Tuesday.

Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf, acting director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, said inflation is starting to pick up in Asia, while China’s economic slowdown adds pressure to regional growth prospects.

And while the region’s trade and financial exposure to Russia and Ukraine are limited, she said its economies would be affected by the crisis through higher commodity prices and slower growth in European trading partners.

“Therefore, the region faces a stagflationary outlook, with growth being lower than previously expected, and inflation being higher,” she told an online news conference in Washington.

 

Monetary Tightening Needed

The headwinds to growth come at a time when policy space to respond is limited, Gulde-Wolf said, adding that Asian policymakers will face a difficult trade-off of responding to slowing growth and rising inflation.

“Monetary tightening will be needed in most countries, with the speed of tightening depending on domestic inflation developments and external pressures,” she said.

The US Federal Reserve’s expected steady interest rate hikes also present a challenge to Asian policymakers given the region’s huge dollar-denominated debt, Gulde-Wolf said.

In its latest forecast issued this month, the IMF said it expects Asia’s economy to expand 4.9% this year, down 0.5 percentage point from its previous projection made in January.

Inflation in Asia is now expected to hit 3.4% in 2022, 1 percentage point higher than forecast in January, it said.

A further escalation in the war in Ukraine, new Covid-19 waves, a faster-than-expected Fed rate hike trajectory and prolonged or more widespread lockdowns in China were among risks to Asia’s growth outlook, Gulde-Wolf said.

“There is significant uncertainty around our baseline forecasts, with risks tilted to the downside.” she said.

 

  • Reuters with additional editing by Sean OMeara

 

ALSO READ:

 

China Needs More Consumption Stimulus, Says IMF Boss

 

IMF Says Any Loan to Sri Lanka Requires Debt Sustainability

 

Sri Lanka Says IMF May Provide Rapid Aid as India Backs Move

 

 

Sean O'Meara

Sean O'Meara is an Editor at Asia Financial. He has been a newspaper man for more than 30 years, working at local, regional and national titles in the UK as a writer, sub-editor, page designer and print editor. A football, cricket and rugby fan, he has a particular interest in sports finance.

logo

AF China Bond