2015 In Review – A Forgettable Year
For the most part, 2015 was a forgettable year as growth anemia and disappointment, enduring characteristics of the post GFC period, continued. At 3.1%, global growth once again underperformed IMF forecasts from October 2014 with most of the disappointment emanating from the Emerging world that is most exposed to the slowdown in China and the end of the commodity super-cycle. With notable exceptions of commodity producers such as Brazil and South Africa, inflation also underperformed the 2014 forecast, underpinned primarily by weak demand and the precipitous decline in commodity prices.