Gita Gopinath, chief economist of the IMF: "The depth of the crisis will leave scars"

Gita Gopinath, an American Indian born in Kerala 48 years ago, a Harvard professor, has been the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since 2019.

Le Figaro. - In April, you estimated the contraction of world GDP in 2020 at 3%. Will you revise your forecasts?

Gita GOPINATH. - According to the latest data collected, we will, on June 24, review our forecast down. If you look at the figures for the first quarter, in many countries the contraction in consumption was very strong, more than expected. Households have really reduced their spending. Another factor comes into play: as long as there is no medical solution, vaccine or effective treatment, the fear of a possible second wave will persist and there will be no guarantee of a return to the normal.

In France, are you also going to revise your forecasts downwards?

We forecast in April -7.5% in 2020 for the euro zone and -7.2% for France. In France as in many

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