OECD.org

The coronavirus presents the global economy with its greatest danger since the financial crisis, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Outlook. The OECD calls on governments to act immediately to limit the spread of the coronavirus, protect people and businesses from its effects and shore up demand in the economy.

International merchandise trade in the G20 countries continued downwards in Q4 2019, as exports and imports slid to their lowest levels in two years. Disruption to Asian supply chains in particular, related to Covid-19 (coronavirus) suggests that this trend could continue in Q1 2020.

The volume of corporate debt reached an all-time high in real terms of USD13.5 trillion at the end of 2019, driven by the return of more expansionary monetary policies early in the year. Additionally, the overall quality of corporate debt has declined, according to a new OECD report, Corporate Bond Market Trends, Emerging Risks and Monetary Policy.

Violence in North and West Africa is increasingly targeting civilian and border regions, according to the OECD’s Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC). Their report, The Geography of Conflict in North and West Africa, finds that the last five years have been the most violent recorded in the region, with over 60,000 people killed in 2015-2019.

A proposed solution to the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy under negotiation at the OECD would have a marked positive impact on global tax revenues, new economic analysis shows. The revenue gains would be broadly similar across high, middle and low-income economies, as a share of corporate tax revenues.