COVID legacy will be higher debt, not weaker growth

We do not expect the pandemic to do permanent damage to global economic growth as vaccines allow activity to resume. There will be sustained behavioural changes, but these need not be negative. Note, for example, that technology use has accelerated in many advanced economies, supporting our view that future productivity growth will be stronger than most expect. Another key legacy will be higher public debt, but we expect this to be managed through sustained low interest rates and by central banks tolerating a significant rise in inflation. The increased pushback against globalisation has strengthened our conviction that EM catch-up will slow. Meanwhile, the green energy intensive fiscal stimulus around the world has brought forward the likely timing of peak oil demand, which will weigh on oil prices and see some EMs struggling to diversify.