Global Growth & Risk Watch: The IMF cut its global growth outlook to about 3% amid Iran-war uncertainty, while still flagging AI as a partial cushion; it also trimmed India’s 2026 forecast to 6.4% but lifted 2027, upgraded Korea to 2.6% on semiconductor and AI hardware strength, and lowered Türkiye to 2.9% for 2026. AI Economy Concerns: A confidential U.S. Treasury analysis warns the AI boom could “bleed” into slower growth if productivity gains disappoint, given tight links across chips, data centers, cloud, and power. Trade & Prices: A New York Fed survey suggests Trump-era tariffs may keep pushing consumer prices higher for longer, with “trickle up” pricing plans by firms. Regional Outlooks: ADB kept Vietnam as Southeast Asia’s fastest grower (7.2% in 2026) and projected Bangladesh at 4.5% for FY27, while South Africa’s PayInc index fell 0.9% in June. Policy & Business Moves: Malaysia’s SME group points to data-center investment and liquidity support as keeping growth robust; Ghana is pushing a maritime jobs push and a $700m petrochemical MoU under its 24-hour economy plan; China’s central bank pledged moderately loose policy but flagged “structural divergence” as demand stays weak. Local Economy Signals: Kenya’s protests are estimated to cost Sh40–50bn each time activity halts; Australia’s Telstra outage shows how telecom networks underpin payments and transport. Circular & Digital Push: Vietnam expands OCOP and collective-economy goals with digital transformation, while Baguio (Philippines) is embedding circular-economy lessons in schools via a UNDP-backed handbook.