The global economic recovery that started in late 2016 is starting to lose momentum, with global confidence in Q2 dipping from its Q1 high, finds the latest edition of ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and IMA Global Economic Conditions survey.

Although it remains high by recent standards, the slight fall in confidence reflects increasing fears of a trade war between the US and China. This continues to effect global outlook, with China’s economic sentiment falling sharply.

Despite this, North America remained the most confident region in the world in the second quarter, with official data showing that the massive tax cut at the start of the year is leading to higher consumption in the US; Africa was the second most confident region, sharing an optimistic outlook with North America. Both regions are where the number of people expecting conditions to improve exceeded those who expected conditions to worsen. Central & South America was the least confident region.

The picture for the UK is in sharp contrast, where economic confidence plummeted in Q2, with figures being well below the historical average. This finding aligns with the latest GDP data, which shows that the economy grew by just 0.2% in the first quarter of 2018. It also comes alongside worrying signs that the UK is struggling to come to an agreement with the rest of the European Union on the terms of its exit.

Narayanan Vaidyanathan, Head of Business Insights at ACCA says: ‘The net dip in global confidence levels reflects factors such as fears of US-China trade wars more than compensating for other factors such as low employment and tax cuts in the US. The dip was seen both in OECD and non-OECD countries, though confidence in both groups remains relatively high by historical standards.’

Raef Lawson, IMA vice president of Research and Policy and Professor-In-Residence adds: ‘Our Q2 analysis mirrors other data that the global economic recovery has slowed since the start of the year. However, confidence is still high by past standards, and a sharp slowdown in economic growth is unlikely in the months ahead. The differences between regions and countries shows marked differences, with concerns about the China-US trade war intensifying - these are uncertain times, and Q3’s results will be heavily impacted by the decisions made in the Whitehouse about tariffs.’

GECS also shows how businesses on the global stage are responding to the changing economic environment:

• 40% say they are laying off staff, which is unchanged from last quarter
• 32% say they are considering scaling back investment in capital projects
• just over a quarter (27%) of respondents are considering hiring more staff
• 23% are looking to expand investment in capital projects.

Looking ahead, ACCA and IMA’s research shows that the outlook for the global economy remains positive – despite signs that economic growth in some key parts of the world’s economy have slowed since growth reached a peak in the second half of 2017. The report concludes that while the global economy is likely to remain pretty strong over the next year, a modest slowdown looks likely.

The GECS report can be found here.

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About ACCA

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants, offering business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

ACCA supports its 200,000 members and 486,000 students in 180 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. ACCA works through a network of 101 offices and centres and more than 7,200 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through its public interest remit, ACCA promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

ACCA is currently introducing major innovations to its flagship qualification to ensure its members and future members continue to be the most valued, up to date and sought-after accountancy professionals globally.

Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. More information is here: www.accaglobal.com

About IMA^® (Institute of Management Accountants)

IMA^®, named 2017 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA^® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 100,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imanet.org.