IMF Lowers Its Outlook for World Economy-英语听力

[00:00.100]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.150]this is the Economics Report. [00:05.080]The world economy is not growing as fast [00:08.620]as many experts had hoped. [00:10.970]The International Monetary Fund [00:14.250]recently announced it was changing [00:16.500]its prediction for future economic activity. [00:20.780]The IMF now says it expects the world economy [00:25.900]to grow only a little over 3 percent in 2013, [00:31.870]that is down from an earlier prediction of 3.3 percent. [00:38.390]The IMF blamed the slower growth in part on what it called [00:44.220]"continuing growth disappointments" [00:46.910]in developing countries, [00:48.410]and a deeper than expected recession in Europe. [00:53.450]Olivier Blanchard is the chief economist at the IMF. [00:58.980]"The main effect really comes from the slowdown [01:01.320]in emerging market economies, [01:03.060]but we are also revising down the euro area forecast." [01:07.700]International demand for goods and services [01:10.440]has decreased as people buy less, [01:14.750]that is especially true in Europe. [01:17.750]There a debt crisis and government cost-cutting measures [01:22.590]have produced the longest economic slowdown [01:25.570]in the history of the 17-nation eurozone. [01:29.800]Peter McGuire studies Asia markets [01:32.990]for the financial service company, Baxter FX. [01:37.370]"It is not surprising. [01:38.690]When you think about as far as global demand, [01:42.120]that seems to be softening, [01:43.420]and of course with Europe in the position that it's been in, [01:46.700]it's just protracted slowness to a point of [01:49.550]nearly negative growth across the whole zone." [01:53.000]Reduced demand has slowed growth in faster-growing economies, [01:57.030]especially in the countries known as BRIC [02:00.630]- Brazil, Russia, India, and China. [02:05.210]Olivier Blanchard says economic activity in the BRIC countries [02:10.490]has an affect on more developed economies. [02:13.830]"If, for example, growth in BRICs was to go down [02:18.210]by two percent relative to what we predict, [02:20.810]then the effect on the U.S., [02:23.450]for example, would be half a percent. [02:25.290]So it matters." [02:26.930]The IMF has lowered its expectations [02:30.290]for economic growth in the United State. [02:33.070]Yet recent reports on American housing and employment [02:37.860]have suggested slow but steady growth. [02:41.790]This growth has been strong enough [02:44.630]for America's central bank to change monetary policies [02:49.020]that have kept long-term interest rates at record-low level. [02:54.450]Olivier Blanchard says rising American interest rates [02:59.930]could create difficulties for some countries, [03:02.820]but he believes it would also be evidence of the stronger recovery [03:07.950]for the world's largest economy. [03:11.030]"Along the way, you may have quite a bit of volatility, [03:14.630]but on that, the bottom line remains the same, [03:18.230]which is - it's good news for the world." [03:20.020]The International Monetary Fund is predicting improvements [03:24.500]in the world economy next year. [03:27.000]But the IMF says the improving conditions are possible, [03:31.830]only if major economies cut long-term debt [03:36.610]and support policies that aid near-term growth. [03:41.640]And that's the Economics Report from VOA Learning English, [03:48.030]I'm Bob Doughty.