Entrenched Trade Imbalances Risk Curbing Global Growth, IMF Says
- As much as half of world’s current-account balances excessive
- Imbalances increasingly concentrated in advanced economies
This article is for subscribers only.
Global trade imbalances are showing little sign of narrowing, a trend that could inflame tensions and curb growth, the International Monetary Fund warned.
Current-account balances amounted to 3.25 percent of the world’s gross domestic product last year, roughly unchanged from the previous year, the IMF said in its annual external-sector report, which assesses the trade position and exchange rates of the world’s biggest economies.