WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects U.S. economic growth to slow in the fourth quarter from its earlier forecast of 1.9 percent but lacks data to assess it due to the federal government shutdown, an IMF spokesperson said Thursday.
The lack of accurate economic data due to the record 43-day federal government shutdown has complicated the IMF’s ability to assess the state of the U.S. economy, spokesperson Julie Kozack told a news briefing.
“The U.S. economy has proven to be resilient in the past few years. We do now see strains starting to mount,” Kozack said. “Domestic demand has been moderating, and job growth is slowing. The combination of slowing immigration inflows, tariffs, broader policy uncertainty have been weighing on activity.”
However, this effect would likely be reversed in the first quarter of 2026, she said.
According to the IMF, U.S. inflation is moving toward the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target, but tariffs have increased upside risks.
Despite anchored inflation expectations, higher prices are “causing pain in certain segments of society,” Kozack said.
