IMF maintains global economy growth forecast at 4.9 percent

The International Monetary Fund is set to stick to its growth forecast of 4.9 percent for the world economy this year, sources close to the German government said on Tuesday. The IMF is scheduled to publish its annual spring report on Wednesday, which contains the fund's updated forecasts for growth in all of the world's major economies.
The IMF expected a "soft landing" for the global economy, the sources said. For Germany, the world's third-biggest economy, the fund was pencilling in growth of 1.8 percent this year and 1.9 percent next year, the sources continued. And in the report, the IMF would call for additional flexibility in the exchange rate of the Chinese yuan, they added.