The Washington-based institution forecast in October a global growth rate of 3% for 2019 and of 3.4% for 2020.
The IMF has now revised down those forecasts to 2.9% and 3.3%, respectively.
The IMF is cautious about the state of the global economy going forward, in particular about further trade tensions.
Total potential debt for the U.S. by one all-encompassing measure is running close to 2,000% of GDP, according to an analysis that suggests danger but also cautions against reading too much into the level.
AB Bernstein came up with the calculation — 1,832%, to be exact — by including not only traditional levels of public debt like bonds but also financial debt and all its complexities as well as future obligations for so-called entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and public pensions.
Read MoreDalio now heads Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund with roughly $160 billion in assets. But when he was only 12 years old in the early 1960s, Dalio just wanted somewhere to invest the money he’d earned caddying on a golf course and everyone he knew was talking up the stock market.
Read MoreSensing a threat they can’t ignore, Wall Street banks instead partner with tech giants like Apple
“I wake up every morning paranoid about who’s trying to wipe us out. But I think they’re threats we can handle.”
Brian Moynihan
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