Global growth to fall, inflation to reign, energy to stay volatile. Food security will be at stake. As the Ukraine-Russia war continues, so do the prospects for the year ahead grow darker. But there are flickers of hope too, both globally and at home. Global stock markets rebounded from multi-year lows, US inflation softened, China's Covid restrictions were eased, major currencies like euro and pound sterling rose against the US dollar, challenging the greenback's free ride.