Global economic data have continued to disappoint in early 2019. This has seen the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) lower its growth forecasts yet again for the world economy.

Last week, Germany and Japan became the latest countries to publish GDP figures, showing that their economies lost momentum in the opening quarter of the year, writes Oliver Mangan. 

World stock markets have endured a difficult three months. They have been buffeted by a series of destabilising events.

The OECD and IMF have been predicting for some time that global growth would strengthen in the second half of 2013 and through 2014, provided the world economy did not suffer any fresh adverse shocks.