News Briefs

World Economy Forecast for 1982. A slight improvement in the world economy is forecast by Bank of America's World Economic Outlook 1982. Western Europe will recover slowly from recession in the second half of the year, according to the bank's economists, while economies of countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East will be sluggish. A global economic growth rate of 2.4 per cent, compared with 2.0 per cent in 1981, is forecast. With key governments maintaining anti‐inflation, moderate growth policies, economic expansion will be relatively slow at first; however, there will be improvement in real growth after mid‐year as inflation eases. Global inflation will decline from approximately 14 per cent projected for 1981 to about 12 per cent in 1982. World trade is expected to increase by 2.5 per cent.