By Karin Strohecker, Andrea Shalal and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -International Monetary Fund member countries said on Friday that rising trade tensions were sapping growth and fueling uncertainty as well as market and financial stability risks,

Trade tension remains a key risk facing the Middle East and North Africa's economic prospects, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday, with the indirect impact of US tariffs expected to drag down growth.

Addressing the media on the Global Policy Agenda at the 2025 World Bank Group/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC, Georgieva said the world economy is facing a new and significant test, with policy b

The world economy is at a “pivotal juncture” as trade tensions flare, members of the International Monetary Fund said in a draft statement after a week of discussions that have been overshadowed by US President Donald Trump’s trade war.

The International Monetary Fund said Asian central banks generally have room to lower interest rates to support domestic demand and offset the impact of the escalating global trade war, with the region in much stronger shape than before the Asian financial crisis.

Many Asian central banks have room to ease monetary policy to cushion the blow to their economies from U.S. tariffs, a senior International Monetary Fund official said on Thursday, after the fund cut its GDP estimates for the export-driven region.

The head of the International Monetary Fund stood by the group’s contrarian view that the U.S. and the global economy aren’t on track for a recession, but stressed the toll of uncertainty and the need for swift resolution of trade disputes.