Faisal Islam: Why China and AI are worrying global finance bosses
Source: BBC ·
At the IMF meeting in Bangkok this week finance and business leaders grappled with uncertainty.
From the source
When it comes to the future direction of the global economy there is a bit of a tug of war going on. There are starkly opposing forces. On the one hand holding back growth are the familiar, recurring crises from the energy shock, trade conflict and actual war. This is reflected most clearly in the sharply rising interest rate costs for the world's advanced economies. Pulling in the other direction is the boost from massive spending on AI, and the frankly astonishing resilience shown especially by smaller economies, as new routes for trade, including for oil and gas, have been established out of necessity. At the IMF meetings in Bangkok this week these themes came up again and again, including among those at the very top table. But not even they know which way things are going to go. In the meantime it's a sportsman's bet where the roving eye of the bond markets will focus next. Currently they seem to be looking at the US and France. However, the French finance minister, Roland…