Global growth downgraded to 2.9%
The OECD now projects global GDP growth will slow to 2.9% in 2026 (down from 3.3% in 2025), citing inflationary pressures, trade disruptions and geopolitical risks — South Korea saw one of the steepest downgrades to 1.7% for 2026. Meanwhile the World Bank warns commodity prices will fall to six‑year lows this year with a roughly 7% drop through 2026, a double‑edged signal of cheaper inputs for importers but weaker demand overall. (news.cgtn.com) (markets.financialcontent.com)
The OECD released an Interim Economic Outlook titled "Testing Resilience" on March 26, 2026, and shows a modest rebound in global activity into 2027 with growth rising to about 3.1% that year. (oecd.org) The March interim flagged rising tariffs, drawn‑down pandemic stockpiles and elevated policy uncertainty as key drags on trade and investment, and warned that energy‑market volatility from the Middle East conflict has reintroduced inflationary pressures. (oecd.org) Country revisions in the OECD update were uneven: the UK and parts of the euro area saw among the largest downward adjustments, and South Korea’s forecast was cut by 0.4 percentage point relative to December’s outlook—one of the steeper G20 downgrades. (tralac.org) The World Bank’s Commodity Markets Outlook (October 2025, with data updated into early 2026) projects commodity prices will fall to their lowest levels since 2020, marking a fourth consecutive year of declines for the broad index. (openknowledge.worldbank.org) The World Bank attributes the price slide mainly to an expanding oil surplus plus weak global demand, and its charts show energy prices are slated to drop roughly 10% in 2026 after a double‑digit fall in 2025. (blogs.worldbank.org) The Bank cautions the run of weaker prices will cut export revenues for commodity‑dependent low‑ and middle‑income countries and explicitly recommends fiscal discipline, business‑environment reform and trade liberalization to help cushion the shock. (openknowledge.worldbank.org)
