Global economic outlook weakens amid energy shock and rising inflationary pressures in IMF/OECD News 04/06/2026 The evolving conflict in the Middle East has become the dominant force shaping global economic prospects, prompting an energy shock that is driving inflationary pressures and is projected to have adverse impacts on growth, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook. Due to the uncertainty around the evolution of the conflict, the Outlook sets out two scenarios: a time-limited disruption scenario, in which energy production and trade in the Gulf economies progressively return to pre-conflict levels starting mid-2026, leading to a gradual unwinding of the disruptions; and a prolonged disruption scenario, which assumes that the current disruptions to energy production and exports in the Gulf economies persist well into 2027, with higher energy prices, intensifying risks of supply shortages and a tightening of global financial conditions, all of which carry broader and more long-lasting consequences for the global economy. “The global economy entered 2026 with robust momentum, but the outlook has weakened significantly since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, with effects likely to be felt for some time. The longer the disruptions last, the larger the economic and social costs become,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. “Any fiscal support that countries provide in response to the shock need to be targeted towards those most in need and temporary, to avoid a further increase in public debt and preserve incentives to save energy. More broadly, countries need to lay the foundations for stronger growth and productivity by improving the business environment, enhancing skills, and unlocking the benefits of AI and other transformative technologies.” Under the assumption of a lasting resolution of the conflict – the “time-limited disruption” scenario –the OECD projects global growth slowing from 3.4% in 2025 to 2.8% in 2026 before picking up