WASHINGTON: The global economic outlook is less bleak than in June, an IMF spokesman said Thursday, signaling that the organization's forecast will be raised when it is released next month.

"The recent incoming data suggests that the outlook may be somewhat less dire than at the time of the (World Economic Outlook) update on June 24 with parts of the global economy beginning to turn the corner," the International Monetary Fund spokesman said.

But the spokesman said "the outlook remains very challenging," with emerging markets other than China facing a "precarious" situation due to the coronavirus.