In the wake of a volatile geopolitical landscape—from new U.S. trade barriers and escalating Middle East conflicts to the recent Iran‑Israel tensions—the global economy is enveloped in an unprecedented fog of uncertainty. This heightened unpredictability has disrupted trade flows, rattled financial markets, and driven energy price spikes, undermining business and investor confidence. Reflecting these adverse dynamics, the IMF downgraded its global growth forecast for 2025 by 0.5 percentage points (from 3.3 % to 2.8 %) and by 0.3 points for 2026 (to 3.0 %).