IMF MD Georgieva: Likely to see some downgrades to global growth forecasts due to Omicron

Joel Frank Independent Analyst

Managing Director (MD) of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday that she had already been concerned that the global economic recovery had been losing steam before the emergence of the Omicron variant. There would now likely be some downgrade to global growth forecasts as a result, she added, saying that the rapid spread of the new variant can dent confidence.

Georgieva added that the good performance of the US economy is having positive spillovers to other countries, but that US action to control inflation has to happen. She added that tariff reductions could also help global growth and said she was encouraged by the US Trade Representative looking into possible reductions.

Market Reaction

The comments have not directly had an effect on market, but do fit into the broader Omicron worries that are causing US equity market sentiment to continue to deteriorate as the final close of the week approaches.

Author

Joel Frank

Independent Analyst

Joel Frank is an economics graduate from the University of Birmingham and has worked as a full-time financial market analyst since 2018, specialising in the coverage of how developments in the global economy impact financial asset

GBP/USD breaches below 1.3500, two-day lows

GBP/USD faces renewed selling pressure, eroding the earlier advance and slipping back to the sub-1.3500 region on Wednesday. Cable’s loss of upside momentum follows the resurgence of the demand for the Greenback amid steady geopolitical tensions. Looking ahead, the British Pound is expected to remain under scrutiny in light of the release of UK GDP data on Thursday.

EUR/USD weakens to multi-day lows near 1.1520

EUR/USD makes a U-turn and trades with decent losses near 1.1520 following the closing bell on Wall Street on Wednesday. The US Dollar’s recovery post-US CPI data keeps the risk complex under pressure in a context where geopolitics takes centre stage once again. Moving forward, attention remains on US inflation with the release of Producer Prices alongside weekly Claims.

Gold holds comfortably above $4,400 after hitting fresh 10-week highs

Gold sits above $4,400 after hitting its highest level since June 5, at $4,450, in Asia on Thursday. Gold looks to build on the uptrend, following soft US inflation data. Receding Fed-hike bets continue to drive flows towards the non-yielding bullion amid subdued US Dollar price action. However, the US-Iran standoff could limit any meaningful USD decline and cap the precious metal as traders now look to the US PPI for a fresh impetus.

Bitcoin faces thin liquidity and missing demand amid seller stress — Glassnode

Bitcoin (BTC) is showing signs of growing market exhaustion, with weakening liquidity and subdued demand leaving the market vulnerable to a sharp move, according to a Glassnode report on Wednesday. The firm stated that Bitcoin is trading between two important cost-basis levels as market activity has fallen to its lowest point since 2019.

Why is Crude Oil priced for a reopening the ships haven't made?

Fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Before the war, the count ran near 120 a day. In the sessions since the waterway was publicly declared open, Brent has drifted back to $87 and West Texas Intermediate to $81, both a little lower again on Wednesday, with daily momentum on each unwound from the top of its range in late July to the low twenties now.

Why is Crude Oil priced for a reopening the ships haven't made?

Fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Before the war, the count ran near 120 a day. In the sessions since the waterway was publicly declared open, Brent has drifted back to $87 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to $81, both a little lower again on Wednesday, with daily momentum on each unwound from the top of its range in late July to the low twenties now.