Hope on the horizon thanks to Uncle Sam as global economies brace for rough weather OUR economy in recent years has been a multi-speed one. That description is now dated: a slowing in GDP growth and fall in real income will be felt widely around Australia. But over the next 12 months we'll often hear the phrase "multi-speed economy" -- in the global context -- with the main economic blocs experiencing unusually disparate rates of growth. Even then, these differences are unlikely to be the main drivers of national investment returns.