The financial district in Frankfurt, Germany. Economic prospects are predicted to get worse for both advanced and emerging economies (Credit: AP)
The global economy has become increasingly fragile and uncertain according to the latest forecasts from The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
It's a gloomy outlook from the Paris-based policy forum, as economic prospects are predicted to get worse for both advanced and emerging economies.
In 2019, they're expecting the global economy to post its weakest growth since the 2008 financial crisis, slowing from last year's 3.6 percent to 2.9 percent.
The OECD said trade conflicts such as the one between the US and China are one of the main reasons global growth has plunged to its lowest levels in a decade.
Laurence Boone, the OECD's chief economist, told CGTN: "What we have been seeing is actually trade tensions multiplying, not only between the US and China, where it starts hurting consumers on both sides, but also between the US and the EU, also Japan and [South] Korea. So, really, our whole plea is to the global world of governments, to come back to the negotiating table."
Trade conflicts mean long-lasting uncertainty and less business confidence, knocking investment growth down from 4 percent two years ago to only 1 percent today.
OECD chief economist Laurence Boone. (Credit: CGTN Photo)
According to OECD forecasts, China's economy will grow by 6.1 percent in 2019 and 5.7 percent in 2020, outlooks the organization cut from 6.2 percent and 6 percent previously.
There is also concern over Brexit and the OECD warned the UK would take the biggest hit in growth and trade if the government fails to secure an agreement with the EU.
A no-deal exit from the EU could slice almost 3 percent from the country's growth over the next three years, compared with just 0.6 percent for the rest of the EU.
Eurozone growth was posted at 1 percent – down from 1.2 percent in May this year and 1 percent in 2020.
The plea today to governments around the world, was for them to open their wallets and spend on big infrastructure projects such as transport and energy, improve tax incentives and create more job opportunities – not just to shield economies from recession, but to bring them back to a stable level of growth.