Cyclist wearing mask on tram tracks
Bourke St, Melbourne (Image: AAP/Daniel Pockett)

On Tuesday night, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will update its global growth forecast. It's expected to confirm the path out of the depths of the slowdown will be slow and stuttering for the global and many national economies.

This will be very handy independent context for the federal government's confident forecasts for international growth.

In last week's budget, Treasury forecast global growth next year of 5%, and 3.5% in 2022. In June, the IMF forecast Australia’s 2020 growth at minus 4.5% in 2020 and a rise of 4% in 2021. The budget forecast 4.25% growth for calendar 2021.