Credit rating agency Moody's has raised its 2023 U.S. economic growth forecast to 1.9% while cutting its estimate for China, citing mounting challenges for the latter, including weak business and consumer confidence and an aging working population.
Italy is planning to exceed its targeted budget deficit for 2023, due to costly fiscal incentives for home improvements, which are expected to impact the country's state finances and potentially lead to further deviations from targets in the future.
The U.S. federal deficit is projected to double this year to around $2 trillion, largely due to higher interest rates, lower tax revenue, and increased Social Security and Medicare costs.
Despite President Biden's claims of cutting the federal budget deficit by $1.7 trillion, in reality, the deficit is projected to hit $2 trillion this year, with government spending remaining high and the reduction in the deficit primarily due to the expiration of COVID-19 emergency spending.
Italy's 2023 budget deficit is projected to exceed the target of 4.5% of GDP and reach around 5.5% due to high interest rates and accounting adjustments related to tax credits, potentially impacting the planned tax cuts in the 2024 budget.
China is considering increasing its budget deficit by an additional 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) for infrastructure projects, surpassing its 3% GDP target and aiming to boost the economy.
The cost of financing America's debt is rising as bond yields increase, potentially crowding out other spending and surpassing the amount spent on defense by 2028, according to estimates released by the Congressional Budget Office.
The Canadian parliamentary budget officer predicts that higher interest rates will impede economic growth in the second half of the year and result in a significant increase in the federal deficit, with consumer spending expected to remain weak until mid-2024.
The US government's budget deficit reached $1.7 trillion in the 2023 fiscal year, exceeding the previous year's shortfall by $300 billion, prompting concerns from the International Monetary Fund about the country's fiscal situation.
Italy's government has announced its budget for 2024, which includes tax cuts and increased spending to support large families, decrease payroll contributions, and bolster public services, but it will require additional borrowing and faces criticism for potentially pandering to voters.
