Moody’s new report lowers global growth forecast amid trade tensions

Credit rating agency Moody's warned on Thursday that global economic growth was likely to slow in the next two years and that it expected the trade war between the United States and China to escalate further.

"We expect global growth to slow to under 3.0 per cent in 2019 and 2020, from an estimated 3.3 per cent in 2017-18," the agency said in a new report.

It added that the recently imposed tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods were likely to rise to 25 per cent in January from their current 10 per cent level.

"In both countries, the overall direct macro impact on growth will be manageable. However, persistent and broadening tensions between the two largest economies globally are increasingly likely to have widespread negative implications by undermining investment," Moody's said.