Thursday , 28 March 2024

Save 1+ Hours! Read Campbell's Synopsis of, and Comments on, the IMF's 2012 World Economic Outlook

The International Monetary Fund has just released its 2012 World Economic Outlook, sub-titled ‘Growth Resuming, Dangers Remain’. I have read it in full and present a brief synopsis of it below which will save you more than 1 hour of your time doing so. I have also commented on some of their statements to provide greater clarity and understanding of what the report conveys. Words: 674

So says Ian R. Campbell (www.StockResearchPortal.com) in edited excerpts from his synopsis and review (a component of a subscription service* but presented here with his kind permission for posting on www.munKNEE.com (Your Key to Making Money!) on the subject. This paragraph must be included in any article re-posting to avoid copyright infringement.

Campbell goes on to say, in part:

My Synopsis

Below is a brief synopsis of the IMF Outlook in which they suggests:

  • “global prospects are gradually strengthening, but downside risks remain elevated”;
  • major advanced economies will likely resume weak recovery;
  • emerging and developing economies are likely to sustain relatively “solid” activity;
  • overall, “recent improvements are very fragile”;
  • the Eurozone is expected to go into mild recession in 2012;
  • “downside risks continue to loom large”;
  • the immediate concern is that an escalation of the Eurozone “crisis will trigger a much more generalized flight from risk”;
  • “geopolitical uncertainty could trigger a sharp increase in oil prices”; and,
  • “austerity alone cannot treat the economic malaise in the major advanced economies” – “resources from stronger peers” (read reallocation of wealth in the developed countries from the wealthy to the less wealthy) must be part of overall country policies.

My Comments

While I don’t disagree with any of the foregoing statements, they largely fall into the ‘platitudes’ category…

The last point, however, is particularly disconcerting for the following reasons:

  • austerity measures will have to be forced on unreceptive developed country populations. Inklings of this are already apparent in events that have unfolded in Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom to name but three countries;
  • reallocation of wealth will be met with serious resistance, particularly in the highly politically polarized United States;
  • all this will unfold over a far longer period of time than it should, which will do nothing but exacerbate the current economic problems in the developed countries; and,
  • almost certainly, a further financial crisis will have to be the trigger that actually results in timely and strong actions being taken. Unfortunately, by then ‘the lights might be turned out at the ball field’. After all, why would anyone believe [that] the very politicians and other ‘stage players’, who have contributed to the current developed country economic malaise and contagion risks, are ‘ready and able’ to reverse course unless forced to do this by external factors that will see them harmed if they don’t.

It would be wonderful to have a ‘magic wand’ that could be waved over the developed countries economies (read America and the Eurozone). Unfortunately, the IMF doesn’t have such a ‘magic wand’…[It] is a ‘created agency’ that funnels funds from participating countries to ‘countries in economic need’…[and] does not have subsequent control over how that money is spent by the recipients, nor do the countries that donated the money through the IMF. [As] former IMF President Dominique Strausss-Kahn, quoted as having said last October: “We cannot oblige a country to do something, but what we can do is to notice that a country has a commitment and fulfills, or not, a commitment.”

Automatic Delivery Available! If you enjoy this site and would like to have every article sent to you then go HERE and sign up to receive Your Daily Intelligence Report. We provide an easy “unsubscribe” feature should you decide to opt out at any time.

Pass it ON. Tell your friends and co-workers about us! We think munKNEE.com is one of the highest quality (content and presentation) financial sites on the internet and our current readers seem to be confirming that. Visits have been doubling yearly and pages-per-visit and time-on-site continue to reach record highs.

Spread the word. munKNEE should be in everybody’s inbox and MONEY in everybody’s wallet!

Without being negative to Madame Lagarde and her IMF colleagues who, to a person I assume are well intentioned, non-control of contributed funds is… almost certainly a recipe for disaster where those funds are contributed to the…[very] people who ‘managed their way’ into financial difficulty in the first place.

This commentary links to the International Monetary Fund’s 2012 World Economic Outlook, April 2012. You ought to read the Executive Summary (reading time: 8 minutes), even if you elect not to scan the entire document (1 or more hours reading time) or listen to the transcript of a related Press Briefing (45 minutes).

*(The above is just one of many of Stock Research Portal’s daily commentaries, critiques, ‘Think for Yourself’ challenges and daily ‘Speak For Themselves’ World Headline summaries. Subscribe now to receive our full, unabridged newsletter.)

Editor’s Note: The above article has been has edited ([ ]), abridged (…), and reformatted (including the title, some sub-titles and bold/italics emphases) for the sake of clarity and brevity to ensure a fast and easy read. The article’s views and conclusions are unaltered and no personal comments have been included to maintain the integrity of the original article.

Related Articles:

1. Is This Pessimistic Outlook For the World Economy Likely to Unfold?

economy-doom

The almost universal consensus, even among mainstream orthodox economists, is pessimistic regarding the world economy. Even though their predictions understate the scope and depth of the crises, there are powerful reasons to believe that we are heading toward a steeper decline than what was experienced during the Great Recession of 2008 – 2009…[Let me explain.] Words: 1656

2. The 5 Stages of Collapse: Where Are We Currently?

us-collapse1

In light of the unfolding global sovereign debt fiasco that has turned out to be less of a waterfall and more of an avalanche [than anticipated I present below a description of the 5 stages of collapse and discuss our preparedness. If you haven’t read it yet, perhaps you should.] It has been read by 70,000+ people so far – and is still being read by an average of 1,500 people each month – on my site alone. Words: 2525

3. The Coming Crisis in Europe Will Result in a MAJOR CRISIS in the U.S.! Here’s Why

Capture(74)

In this article I lay out precisely why the coming Crisis in Europe will be THE Crisis I’ve been forecasting for the last 24 months, why it will have dire consequences on the U.S. and why the Fed can do absolutely nothing to stop it this time round. Words: 1334

4. Despite Financial Woes It’s Still Business as Usual Worldwide – Here’s Why and How to Invest Accordingly

Ways-to-make-money-1

Politicians always appear to consider the cost of acting versus the cost of inaction. As long as more money is lined up: be that from the central government for the regions; be that from a European stability fund for the government; or be it from the IMF, incentives for reforms are taken away. [Spain is a prime example of what is wrong with Europe – and much of the world. Let me explain why that is the case and how to benefit from the overall situation.] Words: 1174

5. Alf Field’s 7 “D’s” of the Developing Disaster Revisited

Gold-bars-on-100-and-50-dollar-bill

When the supply of something is increased sharply relative to demand, the value of that commodity will decline. If the supply continues to increase rapidly and indefinitely, then that item will become worth less and less, with the potential to finally become nearly worthless. This is the Developing Disaster facing the US Dollar and the world. This is the factor that could become the single most important criterion in investment allocation decisions and possibly even for individual financial survival…[Let me explain this further by reviewing the 7 major problems facing the U.S. (and thus the world) and how they all will lead to problem #7 – devolution.] Words: 1520

6. Where Is This Unprecedented Global Financial Crisis Headed? A Retrospective from Alf Field

 
crisis
 
Everyone must be wondering where this “unprecedented global financial crisis”, (the World Bank’s words), is heading. What follows, for what they are worth, are my cogitations on this crisis. Words: 1641
 

7. IMF Begs Policymakers to Prevent World Economy From Falling into a 1930s-style Death Spiral!Earth-e1321574345681

 

 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) painted a stark picture of the global economy this week slashing the outlook for world growth while forecasting a damaging recession in Europe that will leave no country, including Canada and the U.S., unscathed. The report stated that financial conditions have deteriorated, growth prospects have dimmed, and downside risks have escalated and, as such, policymakers must immediately move forward together to save the world economy from falling into a 1930s-style death spiral because the longer corrective action is put off the worse it will actually get. Words: 640

8. 2012: Is This How U.S. Financial Crisis Will Unfold Later This Year?

Financial_Armageddon_3

As economic and political matters become more desperate in the U.S., so will what the government considers acceptable. If a debt default cannot be engineered via continuous inflation as the Fed’s current money-printing is attempting to do, it will occur via a direct repudiation of obligations or a quasi-surreptitious one such the hypothetical one I present in this article. Here is… a look (not a prediction) at a series of not improbable events that could develop [and which] would change our economic world overnight[ – and your financial well-being too]. Words: 1365

9. Get Ready for Financial Crisis 2.0 in 2012 – It’s Inevitable! Here’s Why

global_economic_crisis

This analyst sees the perfect storm of converging criteria almost perfectly timed and aligned with the 2012 election cycle. When the moment arrives, the financial earthquake will rapidly demolish the existing highly precarious financial system. Government will stand by helpless, unable to shield itself, much less its vulnerable citizens or private financial institutions from the tsunami of debt and currency destruction. 2012 is shaping up to be the blockbuster main event of the ongoing financial crisis. Massive amounts of new debt, vast quantities of additional digital dollars and the spark of higher interest rates will set off version 2.0 of the credit-driven financial implosion. Let me explain. Words: 1443