Economic conditions began to deteriorate in the second half of 2015 leading the IMF to lower its estimates for global growth from 3.8% to 3.6%. The slowdown of the Chinese economy has contributed to stock market volatility and falling commodity prices. Despite these economic uncertainties, global business optimism stands at net 36% versus 35% one year ago. The Fed’s interest rate rise and tightening stance on monetary policy, hit US business optimism on concerns over exports. 2016 is shaping up to be an interesting year given recent stock market and oil price volatitlity. Grant Thornton’s International Business Review (IBR) will provide quarterly insight into business sentiment in these turbulent times.
The IBR draws on more than 10,000 interviews with business leaders and international economic forecast data, this latest report explores the growth drivers and constraints facing dynamic businesses over the next 12 months including economic uncertainty, export growth, and business propensity to reinvest among other indicators.
