{"id":72126,"date":"2026-09-23T05:08:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T09:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-economy-defies-energy-shocks-as-oecd-upgrades-2026-growth-forecasts\/72126\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T05:08:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T09:08:59","slug":"global-economy-defies-energy-shocks-as-oecd-upgrades-2026-growth-forecasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-economy-defies-energy-shocks-as-oecd-upgrades-2026-growth-forecasts\/72126\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Economy Defies Energy Shocks as OECD Upgrades 2026 Growth Forecasts"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>OECD raises 2026 global growth forecast to 2.9%<\/strong> (up from 2.8% in June), citing resilient investment and the cushioning of energy shocks despite ongoing Middle East conflicts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eurozone business activity surged to a 41-month high<\/strong> in September, with the Composite PMI jumping to <strong>53.1<\/strong>, significantly outperforming market expectations of 51.7.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a>-backed AI startup Firmus Technologies<\/strong> is reportedly seeking <strong>$10 billion<\/strong> in financing to purchase chips for an Indonesian data center ahead of a planned Australian IPO.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UK economic momentum cooled<\/strong> as the September Services PMI dropped to <strong>51.7<\/strong>, missing estimates and signaling a potential quarterly GDP growth of just 0.1%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>South African inflation edged up to 4.4%<\/strong> in August, remaining below the 4.5% estimate but keeping pressure on the central bank ahead of its upcoming interest rate decision.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>OECD Upgrades Growth Outlook Amid Geopolitical Strains<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)<\/strong> raised its 2026 global growth projection to <strong>2.9%<\/strong> on Wednesday, noting that the world economy has weathered energy supply shocks better than anticipated. The Paris-based body also boosted its <strong>U.S.<\/strong> growth forecast to <strong>2.2%<\/strong> for 2026, up from a previous estimate of 2.0%, driven by strong AI-related investment and production. However, the organization warned that the outlook remains &quot;heavily dependent&quot; on a durable resolution to Middle East conflicts and cautioned that a record-breaking El Ni\u00f1o weather system poses a significant downside risk to global stability.<\/p>\n<h2>Eurozone Activity Hits Multi-Year High While UK Stutters<\/h2>\n<p>In a surprise boost for the <strong>Euro area<\/strong>, the <strong>S&amp;P Global Flash Eurozone Composite PMI<\/strong> climbed to <strong>53.1<\/strong> in September, its highest level since April 2023. This expansion was broad-based, with <strong>Germany<\/strong> posting its fastest growth in nearly a year and <strong>France<\/strong> returning to expansion for the first time in 10 months. The resilience of the bloc&#39;s economy may embolden the <strong>European Central Bank<\/strong> to maintain a hawkish stance as firms report rising operating costs due to elevated energy prices.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, the <strong>United Kingdom<\/strong> saw a loss of momentum as its <strong>Composite PMI<\/strong> fell to <strong>51.7<\/strong> from 52.5 in August. While the manufacturing sector showed some resilience with a reading of <strong>52.0<\/strong>, the dominant services sector slowed more than expected. <em>S&amp;P Global<\/em> economists noted a &quot;worrying combination&quot; of sluggish growth and intensifying inflationary pressures, which may complicate the <strong>Bank of England&#39;s<\/strong> upcoming interest rate deliberations.<\/p>\n<h2>AI Infrastructure Boom: Firmus Seeks $10 Billion<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Firmus Technologies<\/strong>, an AI infrastructure startup backed by <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>), is in talks with lenders to secure approximately <strong>$10 billion<\/strong> in financing. The deal, which reportedly includes <strong>$7.5 billion in debt<\/strong> and <strong>$2.5 billion in equity<\/strong>, is intended to fund the purchase of <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) graphics processors for a massive 360-megawatt &quot;AI Factory&quot; in Indonesia. This capital raise comes just weeks before a planned <strong>Australian IPO<\/strong> in late October, where the company aims to raise up to <strong>$5 billion<\/strong>, potentially making it one of the largest public offerings in Australian history.<\/p>\n<h2>Germany Weighs Protections Against &quot;Dumping&quot; Offers<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>German Federal Government<\/strong> is reportedly examining new measures to protect domestic companies from &quot;lowball&quot; or &quot;dumping&quot; takeover offers. According to reports from <em>Handelsblatt<\/em>, the Finance Ministry is considering a review of takeover laws to prevent foreign entities from acquiring undervalued German firms at prices that do not reflect their long-term value. This move comes as many German industrial leaders remain skeptical about a quick return to pre-2021 production volumes amid high energy costs and a &quot;deep, long valley&quot; in the chemical sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways OECD raises 2026 global growth forecast to 2.9% (up from 2.8% in June), citing resilient investment and the 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