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Giấy phép số 4978/GP-TTĐT do Sở Thông tin và Truyền thông Hà Nội cấp ngày 14 tháng 10 năm 2019 / Giấy phép SĐ, BS GP ICP số 2107/GP-TTĐT do Sở TTTT Hà Nội cấp ngày 13/7/2022.
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Nam Kim Steel Joint Stock Company (NKG-HOSE) has disclosed an insider-related transaction involving Mr. Ho Minh Phat, the son of Mr. Ho Minh Quang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of NKG. Mr. Phat registered to purchase 5 million NKG shares for personal financial investment purposes. The transaction is expected…
The IMF warned that the global economy could enter its weakest growth phase since the Covid-19 pandemic if conflict in the Middle East keeps oil prices around $100 a barrel for the rest of the year. The warning came in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook released on 14 April at the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington.
In the IMF’s downside scenario, global GDP growth is projected at 2.5% in 2026, with inflation at 5.4%. The IMF linked the deterioration to the potential persistence of disruption to energy markets, including risks to Hormuz shipping routes.
In the base case published on 14 April, global growth is projected at 3.1% in 2026 and inflation at 4.4%, assuming the conflict ends soon and oil prices revert toward pre-crisis levels.
Brent crude briefly rose above $100 per barrel as US-Iran negotiations stalled, before easing to $94.79 after news suggested talks could resume. Before the conflict, oil hovered around $70 per barrel.
IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said weekend developments moved oil prices closer to the downside scenario.
The IMF said some of the world’s poorest countries may seek IMF support to cope with energy and fertilizer price shocks linked to the conflict. Gourinchas estimated that about half of the fertilizer price increase would pass through to food prices within 12 months.
Even under the base scenario, the IMF expects growth in emerging and developing economies to slow by 0.3 percentage point in 2026 to 3.9%. In the Middle East and Central Asia, growth is projected to fall to 1.9%.
Under the downside scenario, inflation would rise and financial conditions would tighten.
In the downside scenario, oil prices are projected to fall back to around $75 per barrel by 2027. In a more severe scenario, oil would average $110 in 2026 and $125 in 2027, accompanied by higher inflation and tighter monetary policy.
In that more severe scenario, global growth would slow to 2% in 2026 and inflation would rise to 5.8%.
Gourinchas noted that a 2% global growth rate is rare since 1980, occurring only a few times, including during the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. The IMF said that if growth slows to that extent, risks would increase for targets including poverty reduction, macro stability, and food security.
Alongside the World Economic Outlook, the IMF’s Global Financial Stability Report released the same day warned that investors may overestimate positive outcomes from the Middle East conflict and underestimate vulnerabilities in the financial system.
The IMF cautioned that while markets have absorbed the initial shock relatively calmly so far, risks are skewed toward the negative. It said the Iran-related conflict could still trigger a large shock and push the financial system toward crisis.
Gourinchas said the current market adjustment largely reflects investors scaling back bets on gains rather than switching to bets on a market downturn.
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
