IMF chief downbeat on forecast

By Krisztina Than and Balazs Koranyi

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The global economic outlook is worsening and the IMF is likely to cut its growth forecasts sharply, although Germany's stimulus package announced on Tuesday offers some hope, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Tuesday.

Speaking in Budapest, Strauss-Kahn said the global economy is slowing more than the IMF had previously expected and this has implications for several central and eastern European economies.

Germany on Tuesday detailed its second stimulus package in as many months as grim data from China and Japan highlighted the scale of the crisis and President-elect Barack Obama sought approval to unlock the second half of a $700 billion (482 billion pound) U.S. package.

"Even if I don't have the precise figures now, I already know (the new forecasts) will show sharp decreases for estimates we have for global growth," Strauss-Kahn told Reuters.

"I'm concerned about the fact that the world, the global economy is slowing down even more than has been the case a few months ago," said Strauss-Kahn.

"We're going to release new forecasts in a few days and they're not optimistic, and the situation all over eastern Europe is (a) bad one not only in Hungary," he added.

Strauss-Kahn welcomed Germany's 50 billion euro (45.4 billion pound) fiscal stimulus package but said he needed more time and detail to make a fair evaluation.

"Of course, the new German plan, which comes on top of the rest, makes (us) more comfortable. I have to see more detail of the plans," he said.