IMF, World Bank Leaders Address Global Economy at 2026 Annual Meetings Plenary

IMF, World Bank Leaders Address Global Economy at 2026 Annual Meetings Plenary

NTD News

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and Annual Meetings Chair Carlos Carvallo Spalding deliver remarks on the global economy during the 2026 Annual Meetings Plenary on Oct. 16.

IMF warns global economy nearing "limits of resilience"

The IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. 

Photo: Matt Hunt/Anadolu via Getty Images

Oct 12, 2026 

Courtenay Brown

The global economy's ability to withstand new shocks is coming under strain, the International Monetary Fund warned Monday night in its latest economic forecast.

Why it matters: Worldwide growth has defied expectations, holding up despite the Middle East war and soaring oil prices. But some policymakers fear that dwindling energy reserves, mounting debt and growing reliance on the AI boom leave the world increasingly vulnerable.

What they're saying: "Without shoring up supply capacity and replenishing policy buffers, the global economy could soon test the limits of resilience," IMF economic counselor Silvana Tenreyro wrote in a blog post.

"Technology-related investment, while an important boon against the energy shock, is concentrating risks — making the global expansion heavily reliant on a small number of firms, sectors, and economies," she added.

The intrigue: The AI boom has helped offset the war's economic toll, but a sharp reversal could leave global GDP 1.1% below the IMF's baseline forecast by 2028, with a bigger hit of 1.8% to U.S. GDP.

That scenario assumes AI's promised productivity gains fail to materialize, triggering a pullback in investment and a financial market correction.

Continued AI investment could also fuel inflation, potentially prompting further interest rate hikes.

But a stronger AI investment boom — paired with faster productivity gains — could lift global GDP 0.6% above its baseline forecast by 2029.

Major economies approach their largest budget deficits since the COVID-19 pandemic

12:00, 13 October 2026
Source: LB.ua
 


The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned of deteriorating public finances in the world’s major economies. In 2026, budget deficits in China and the United States are expected to reach or exceed 8% of GDP, while net borrowing across advanced economies is projected to total 5.2% of GDP. This would be the highest level since 2021.

According to the IMF, net borrowing by the US general government sector will reach 8.5% of GDP in 2026, up from 7.1% in 2025 and 5.8% before the COVID-19 pandemic. The fiscal outlook has deteriorated compared with the IMF’s April projections amid turmoil in global debt markets.

At the same time, government borrowing costs are rising. Investors are concerned about growing public debt, inflation and large-scale investment in artificial intelligence. In September, a bond sell-off put additional pressure on government budgets as debt-servicing costs increased.

According to the IMF, global public debt is expected to approach 100% of world GDP by the end of the decade. The fund identified prolonged wars, cyberattacks and extreme weather events as factors increasing fiscal risks and exacerbating the global energy shock.

Meanwhile, the IMF slightly upgraded its forecast for global economic growth in 2026 by 0.1 percentage points to 3.1%. The global economy is projected to grow by 3.4% in 2027. The US economy is expected to expand by 2.3% in both years, while China’s growth is forecast at 4.5% in 2026 and 4% in 2027. India’s economy is projected to grow by 7% annually.

Source

End of the Road | How Money Became Worthless | What Comes Next? | 4K

 End of the Road | How Money Became Worthless | What Comes Next? | 4K

Moconomy

Oct 4, 2026

End Of The Road: How Money Became Worthless - Wall Street is being occupied. Europe is collapsing in on itself. Around the world, people are consumed by fear and anger, and one question is on everyone's lips: Is the financial crisis over, or are we headed towards economic disaster? End of the Road is a documentary that chronicles the global financial collapse.

End Of The Road: How Money Became Worthless (2012)

Director: Tim Delmastro

Writers: Jason Spencer, Tim Delmastro

Stars: Adam Fergusson, G. Edward Griffin, Mike Maloney

Genre: Documentary

Country: Australia

Language: English

Release Date: 18 August 2012 (USA) 

Also Known As: Χρήμα χωρίς αξία 

Filming Locations: USA

Dollar General CEO says even $100k earners shopping like bargain hunters

Sep 16, 2026, 11:37 AM ET

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News

Dollar General (DG) CEO Todd Vasos said earlier in the week that sustained inflation and high gas prices (UGA) (XB1:COM) are squeezing shoppers across all income levels, driving even those earning over $100K to adopt budget-conscious habits and positioning the discount retailer to capture a broader demographic.

Speaking at a Goldman Sachs Global Consumer and Retail conference, Vasos highlighted that economic distress is no longer limited to the chain's core consumer base. He noted that whenever gas prices approach or surpass $4 a gallon, Dollar General’s (DG) traditional customers radically shift their behavior. To manage costs, these shoppers opt to stay closer to home, making more frequent trips but purchasing less on each visit.

As the Middle East conflict lingers and drives up global energy (USO) (BNO) (XLE) prices, the national average for a gallon of regular gas is sitting well above that threshold at around $4.36, according to recent AAA data.

The financial strain has also cascaded up the income ladder. According to Vasos, middle- and upper-middle-class consumers are now mirroring the purchasing habits of lower-income shoppers due to years of sustained inflation on basic goods. Even households earning over $100K—which Dollar General (DG) categorizes as high income—are feeling the pinch.

Vasos said that the retailer is hearing more from this demographic, noting that many say they no longer feel like high-income earners because of persistent economic headwinds.

Despite the challenging macroeconomic environment for consumers, Vasos remains optimistic about the company's outlook, believing Dollar General (DG) is in a strong position to serve this newly budget-conscious spectrum of shoppers across all demographics.

Source

Americans Are Stealing Food Now And Stores Are Locking Everything Up

Americans Are Stealing Food Now And Stores Are Locking Everything Up

Epic Economist

Sep 12, 2026

There are two separate things going on in this video, and it matters that they do not get blurred together. The first is what somebody says once they are caught. Hardly anybody argues they did not do it — they argue about what it was for, and the sentence that keeps surfacing is some version of I needed to feed my family. That may be true and it may be a line, and there is no way to tell which from the outside.

The second thing is not people at all. It is equipment. A camera counting you. A check at the door. A glass case you have to ring a bell for. All of it signed off as an answer to the first thing, and all of it landing on the ninety-nine who paid. That is the part nobody explained to anyone who shops in one of these stores, and it is the part this video is really about.

Why is Gen Z so Anti-Capitalist?

Perspectives

May 14, 2026 | By Courtney Graves

Policy Issues

Culture

A new poll shows that support for socialism among young Americans is at an all-time high. What could be responsible for this fact?

 

Introduction

The future of free markets in the United States is in danger, as support for capitalism among younger generations has fallen to an all-time low. According to a poll conducted by the Cato Institute in 2025, 62% of Americans aged 18 to 29 say they hold a “favorable view” of socialism. Perhaps even more troubling, 34% of young Americans say they hold a “favorable view” of communism.

This is a stark contrast from previous generations. Baby Boomers overwhelmingly hold a positive view of capitalism at 68%. Only 32% of our elder generation holds a positive view of socialism.

Many older Americans are baffled by the fact that so many Gen Zers could favor a system that has failed so horribly in the past. Baby Boomers and Gen X grew up during the Cold War, when socialist and communist ideologies spread across Eastern Europe and Asia. They witnessed, in real time, the authoritarianism, human rights abuses, and economic stagnation stemming from socialist policies that plagued entire countries.

When the Soviet Union fell on December 26, 1991, many thought that would be the end of the support for socialism and that free-market capitalism would dominate the Western Hemisphere for eternity.

However, the rising support for socialism among young Americans, the recent election of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in America’s biggest city, and the Democratic Party’s gradual embrace of policies once considered fringe, proved that hopeful sentiment wrong.

So, what happened? Why are the youngest Americans so pessimistic about their economic future and demand an overhaul of our free-market system?

G7 Leaders Touch Down for High-Stakes G7 Summit | APT

 

Millions are starting to lose interest in everything, and it's a sign that...

 

CIA Chief Spotted In Cuba As Specter Of Regime Change Looms Large

(Screenshot/CIA/X)

John Loftus Editor at Large

May 15, 20269:23 AM ET


As the specter of the U.S.-led regime change grows, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released photos of agency chief John Ratcliffe meeting with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday.

Ratcliffe and several U.S. officials—some of whose faces were blurred by the CIA in images posted to X—held talks Thursday with Cuba’s Interior Minister, the head of Cuban intelligence and Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raulito Rodríguez Castro. A CIA official told The Associated Press that the director was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.” 

The threat of regime change in Cuba has grown in recent weeks. President Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about taking over Cuba and suggested May 8 that a U.S. aircraft might leave the Iran War theater and position itself off the country’s coast. The administration has also intensified its economic war, blocking oil shipments since January. Amid energy blackouts, a collapsing economy and protests in the capital, Cuba’s oil and gas supplies have now run dry, according to Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy.

DISRUPTION

Volume 45 Issue Five May 2026

Last Trumpet Ministries ∙ PO Box 806 ∙ Beaver Dam, WI 53916

Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” I Cor. 14:8

“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” - Psalm 71:1

As we enter May 2026, the United States is still at war with Iran. The events surrounding this conflict have taken many twists and turns in recent weeks. Although the fighting itself has quieted, there remains great uncertainty about when, or if, it might resume. Nevertheless, the consequences of this war are being felt around the world and threaten to disrupt everyday life in unprecedented ways. In this edition of the Last Trumpet, we will look back at these recent events and consider their potential implications for the future.

A Close Call

As April began, the coalition between the United States and Israel was heavily involved in combat operations against Iran. From the start of the war, coalition forces have mostly imposed their will over Iranian territory without significant resistance. However, on April 3, 2026, an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory. The two crew members onboard were forced to eject from the plane, leading to the dire possibility of American soldiers falling into the hands of the Iranian regime. For the first time since the war began, American forces would set foot on Iranian soil to conduct two daring rescue missions in a high-stakes race against time. (1)

The pilot was located and found within hours, but the whereabouts of the weapons systems officer remained a mystery. (2) To pinpoint his location, the U.S. military enlisted the help of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA used its secret technology to locate the missing soldier who had been stuck behind enemy lines for more than 24 hours. “This was the ultimate needle in a haystack, but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA’s capabilities,” an unnamed U.S. official told Axios. (3)

The search was conducted with great urgency. Not only were the Americans looking for the soldier, but so too were the Iranians. “This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” wrote American President Donald Trump. (4)

In an effort to find the American soldier before he could be rescued, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps offered a reward of about $66,000 to any Iranian citizen who could locate him. (5) This is a tremendous amount of money for an Iranian citizen, and many were no doubt highly motivated to find the missing airman.

With the soldier safely recovered, Trump recounted some of the details of the rescue mission to Axios. He explained that the military aircraft had been hit by a shoulder-fired missile. “They got lucky,” Trump admitted. He then explained that American officials were worried at first that the soldier had already been captured by the Iranians because of an unusual final radio message. “God is good,” the airman said as he ejected from the aircraft. “What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Trump opined. However, those who knew the soldier told officials the man was religious, and so they moved forward with a rescue mission involving two hundred soldiers. (6) Had Iran been successful in its endeavors to locate the airman, it could have changed the trajectory of the war. Capturing the soldier would have given the regime leverage in negotiations and could have easily resulted in the American being imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Thankfully, he was rescued before Iran got their hands on him. God is good, indeed.

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G20 grapples with a splintering world order

Leaders of world's biggest economies gather in South Africa, despite US boycott
WorldPoliticsDiplomacy

AFP 

Some of the G20 representatives and leaderspose for a family picture during the summit. Photo: AFP

G20 leaders gathered Sunday in South Africa hailed multilateralism -- even as they struggled to adapt to a changing world order beset by go-it-alone US policies, wars and deepening geopolitical rivalries.

The final day of their weekend summit -- boycotted by the United States -- kicked off with a searching discussion on how the G20 can survive in a fragmenting world.

"We are not experiencing a transition, but a rupture," acknowledged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to journalists just before the summit session.

"Too many countries are retreating into geopolitical blocs or the battlegrounds of protectionism," he said, but added: "In every rupture resides the responsibility to build -- nostalgia is not a strategy."

Dozens of leaders from key economies around the world -- including Europe, China, India, Japan, Turkey, Brazil and Australia -- attended the summit, the first to be held in Africa.

US President Donald Trump's government snubbed the event, saying South Africa's priorities -- including cooperation on trade and climate -- ran counter to its policies.

The United States is retreating from multilateral forums as it stokes trade volatility with sweeping tariffs and reverses commitments to fight global warming.

Trump's officials have also made unfounded accusations of a "white genocide" in South Africa.

New York City Mayoral Debate 2025

October 22, 2025 

LIVE 

Campaign 2026 New York City Mayoral Debate 

The three leading candidates in New York City's 2025 mayoral race -- Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and independent Andrew Cuomo -- participate in a debate hosted by Spectrum News NY1.

(Skip to approx. 7:00 Mins. for a replay of the debate.)

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