Unilever sends frightening message on deteriorating global growth

New York

THE International Monetary Fund just slashed its global growth forecast by the most in three years. But for a really frightening insight into how policy makers are failing to resuscitate the global economy, take a look at the worsening prospects of a company that sells US$56 billion of stuff to consumers every year.

Unilever, which peddles everything from margarine to deodorant to laundry soap in every country around the world, is having a hard time increasing revenue. Its 2014 sales improvement was the weakest…