The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that the International Monetary Fund has revised its global economic outlook downward. The Globe's Mark Rendell writes that the IMF projects global growth at 3.1 per cent in 2026, a slowdown from the previous forecast of 3.3 per cent and 3.4 per cent in 2025. Additionally, global inflation is expected to rise to 4.4 per cent in 2026, up from 3.8 per cent projected in January. The IMF said the global economy is threatened with being thrown off course by the Iran war. Central bankers and finance officials from around the world are now gathering in Washington for the biannual meeting of the IMF and World Bank. The IMF said the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict will be uneven. Oil importing countries, particularly emerging-market and developing economies in Asia, are being hit particularly hard, as are Gulf countries that cannot get their oil and natural gas to world markets because of the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. As a major energy producer and exporter, Canada is relatively insulated from the economic downsides of the oil-price shock, though it faces headwinds from North American trade uncertainty and slower population growth.