The world economy is in the shadow of war, and the warning signs are flashing

EVERY spring, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gathers the world’s finance ministers and central bankers in Washington to take the planet’s economic pulse. This year, the diagnosis is deeply sobering.

The IMF’s two flagship Spring 2026 reports, the World Economic Outlook and the Global Financial Stability Report, paint a picture of a global economy that was finally finding its footing, only to be knocked back again by the outbreak of war in the Middle East.

The title of this year’s World Economic Outlook says it all: “Global Economy in the Shadow of War”.