国际货币基金组织(IMF)再次下调了对当前年度全球经济增长的预期，理由是“美国出现了自大萧条(Great Depression)以来规模最大的金融危机”。

The International Monetary¹ Fund has again cut its global economic growth estimate for the current year, citing the “largest financial crisis in the US since the Great Depression”.

在越南召开的东南亚央行和财政部官员会议上，各新闻通讯社获得的一份文件显示，国际货币基金组织预计，2008年全球经济增幅仅为3.7%，远低于1月份估计的4.1%。

The fund expects the world economy to expand by only 3.7 per cent in 2008, much weaker than a previous estimate of 4.1 per cent made in January, according to a document obtained by newswires at a conference of southeast Asian central bankers and finance officials in Vietnam.

如果得到证实，这一修正后的预测值将为2002年以来最低的全球经济增幅，而且将会加剧人们对美国经济问题可能引发全球衰退的担忧。

This revised forecast, if confirmed, would mark the slowest pace of global growth since 2002 and adds to fears the problems facing the US economy could trigger a global recession.