Treasurer Jim Chalmers reckons the government will be back in the black when the Budget is handed down next month – despite the global economy looking pretty shaky. Chalmers has returned from meetings with counterparts in Washington and says he’s on track to record a second surplus after ending last financial year with $22 billion in the nation’s bank account – “We feel like the first surplus last year, the first in 15 years, was an important way to put downward pressure on inflation so our objective is still a second.” But he’s warned events in the Middle East, as well as slower growth in China and Japan, could dampen the economy. And you can bet he’ll keep an eye on quarterly inflation data due on Wednesday… The markets expect it will show a dip from an annual rate of 4.1% to 3.4%, just below the RBA’s 3.5% forecast.