The world economy will be as weak next year as it was in 2009 after the financial crisis as the conflict in Ukraine risks becoming a “forever war,” the Institute of International Finance said. Global growth is expected to slow to 1.2% in 2023, economists including Robin Brooks and Jonathan Fortun wrote in a note Thursday. When adjusted for base effects, that’s as weak as it was in 2009. “The severity of the coming hit to global GDP depends principally on the trajectory of the war in Ukraine,” the analysts wrote. “Our base case is that fighting drags on into 2024, given that the conflict is ‘existential’ for Putin.” ... (full story)