IMF to raise global growth forecast to 4 percent: report

The International Monetary Fund will raise its forecast for global growth this year to 4 percent or more as China and emerging economies pick up pace, the Nikkei newspaper quoted the head of the fund as saying.

South America and Africa are also clearly recovering, but private demand in the United States, Japan and Europe remains weak, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said in an interview with the Nikkei.

Strauss-Kahn also quoted as saying he expects China to move on currency policy at some point, as the yuan is undervalued and allowing the currency to rise would benefit China.

The IMF sharply raised its estimates in January, predicting that the world economy would expand by 3.9 percent in 2010, much higher than the 3.1 percent it projected last October, with the pace picking up to 4.3 percent next year.

The IMF, the World Bank and the Group of 20 countries will hold meetings in Washington starting on Thursday.

(Reporting by Stanley White)