The global economy continues to show an upward trend - albeit at a slower pace - for the eighth year running, although performance differs considerably from country to country. What is the outlook for 1990 as a whole?

After the price of oil began falling sharply during the first few months of 1986 the prospects for a more pronounced and long-lasting economic upswing in the industrialised countries were generally regarded as having improved. The increase in demand and production in 1986, however, was more...

1979 saw a pronounced cyclical downturn with mounting, inflation and balance of payments problems bear upon the western industrialized countries with the long-expected recession materializing in the USA early in 1980. In Western Europe demand and production began to slide a little later....

The EC’s association and preference policy has again and again given rise to criticism by those developing countries who are not favoured as well as by the other industrial states. Sometimes, however, it seems that preferences have been overestimated. It cannot be overlooked that the...

1989 was another highly satisfactory year for the industrialised countries, with real gross national product growing by an average of around 31/2%. Performance differed from one country to another, however, with the USA beginning to lag behind. Is this the harbinger of a general slowdown in growth?