CAIRO: The Australian government is expected to raise its economic growth forecast for 2022 in its midyear budget review, according to the country’s treasurer, Josh Frydenberg. He said omicron’s effect, the new COVID-19 variant, is still unclear. The country’s fiscal year runs until June. The Australian economy narrowed by 1.9 percent in the third quarter of this year on the back of the delta variant which led to a national lockdown. However, the treasurer said the country now enjoys one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, boosting market conditions. France avoids more restrictions France will try to refrain from the imposition of any health-related restrictions even as virus cases continue to rise, the country’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said. France is also avoiding any mandatory vaccination campaigns, Bloomberg reported, citing the minister. He said two sectors, restaurants and hospitality, were particularly hit by the wave of new cases, adding that they will receive government support. He also stated the new variant, omicron, is yet to have an effect on the country’s economic growth. US growth rate Unlike other countries, US expected growth rates for both 2021 and next year were trimmed down by Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s leading investment banks. It said this downward revision was attributed to a potential adverse effect by omicron, according to Bloomberg. The world’s largest economy is now predicted to grow by 3.8 percent in 2021, instead of the previous 4.2 percent forecast. As for next year, the US is set to expand by 2.9 percent, down from 3.3 percent. Meanwhile, the country’s unemployment rate plunged to a 21-month low to hit 4.2 percent in November, according to the Labor Department. This is a 2.1 percent drop compared to January’s level, a considerable decline. However, employment growth slowed down during the month. The economy is still expected to experience strong growth in the fourth quarter, following the previous quarter’s weak performance.