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In the inaugural GrowthiQ article, global CEO, Ed Nusbaum considers the outlook for the global economy, and tells business leaders that opportunities remain despite prevailing economic uncertainty.

New research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) reveals that while business confidence in 2014 climbed to levels not seen since before the financial crisis, a recent spate of uncertainty is weighing on growth prospects for the year ahead.

Businesses in the world’s three biggest economies, the United States, China and Japan, are increasingly feeling the heat when it comes to recruiting skilled staff. Given that these countries together represent over a third of global output, a deficit of skilled staff could have a significant knock-on effect on economic growth not just in these economies but beyond.

Drawing on data and insight from the Grant Thornton IBR, the Economist Intelligence Unit and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), this short report considers the outlook for the Thai economy, including the expectations of 200 business leaders interviewed in Thailand and more than 10,000 globally, over the past 12 months.

Ed Nusbaum, global CEO of Grant Thornton, discusses the Q3 global economic outlook and finds the slowdown in Germany threatening eurozone and world growth prospects.

Jose Luis Sarrio (international business centre director and partner at Grant Thornton Peru) and Madeleine Blankenstein (international business centre director and partner at Grant Thornton Brazil) discuss the outlook for Latin America.

Over the last few years, ask an economist where to look for growth and the answer would usually be the emerging markets. Now, though, with renewed optimism in Japan the UK, and US , should we be looking to the developed economies for new opportunities?

New research shows that rising optimism in Quebec is feeding into brighter business growth prospects but that bureaucracy is constraining those very same growth plans. The results from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR), a survey of 2,500 senior executives in 34 economies, reveals that despite the roadblocks, businesses in Quebec are focused on incentivising productivity improvement and enhancing sales force effectiveness in a bid to boost growth over the next 12 months.

The second quarter of 2014 brought a raft of very cheery economic news. The pace of growth in China kicked back up to 7.5% following a mini-stimulus from the government which included speeding up infrastructure project approvals, tax relief and credit easing. The United States roared back after a particularly bitter winter to post 4.0% growth (at the annual rate). Spain was buoyed by news that growth had accelerated to 0.6% (from the previous quarter) and the unemployment rate has started to fall.

Sustainability is a buzzword of the moment. Whether as business leaders or consumers, we cannot escape from being told to consider the long-term implications of our actions or spending decisions.

Ed Nusbaum talks to Ivo Daalder about the outlook for emerging markets

Nathan Goode welcome growth opportunities extra government scrutiny brings

I was interviewed last week on CNN to discuss the continued strength of global business optimism uncovered by our Q2 IBR economic update. The interviewer was particularly interested in the reasons behind business confidence around the world reaching a record high since we started asking this question in 2003. So let’s take a look at what the survey is telling us.

It will not surprise an international audience that the build-up to the World Cup has been overwhelmingly negative in Brazil. Scenes of local protesting about the huge sums of money lavished on stadia in Manaus and Brasilia, which are likely to poorly used after the main event, have been broadcast around the world.

Business growth indicators in the hospitality and tourism sector took a bit of a nosedive globally in Q1 according to our International Business Report (IBR). Expectations for increasing revenues, profits and investment all fell over the past three months.

Two in five mid-market businesses around the world either currently outsource a back-office process, or plans to in the near future.