The International Monetary Fund predicted the world economy will strengthen in 2020, albeit at a slightly weaker pace than previously anticipated amid threats related to trade and tensions in the Middle East. Global growth will accelerate this year to 3.3% from 2.9% in 2019, the fund said on Monday. That’s the first pickup in three years, but less than the 3.4% projected in October. The 2019 estimate was reduced for the sixth time. (Bloomberg) Job openings plunged to their lowest level in nearly two years as hiring surged in November and the employment market got tighter, the Labor Department reported Friday. Total vacancies tumbled by 561,000 to 6.8 million for the month, the lowest since February 2018, according to the government"s Job Openings and Labor Market Turnover Survey. Despite the big drop, openings still outnumbered Americans considered unemployed by nearly 1 million. The vacancy rate nudged down to 4.3%. The big decline in openings came during a month when nonfarm payrolls increased by 256,000, the best total since January. Total hires increased by 39,000 though the rate was unchanged at 3.8%. (CNBC)   Source: Danareksa Debt Research Photo by Aaron Burson on Unsplash