Gate News message. On March 30, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued an economic warning stating that, under the current circumstances, multiple factors point to rising prices and slowing economic growth. The IMF said that the war is causing a global but asymmetric shock, driving up food and fertilizer prices, and tightening financial conditions. The IMF warned that the war will raise current inflation levels and could intensify expectations in the market that inflation will remain elevated for a longer period, thereby increasing the risk of a sharp economic slowdown. In addition, the IMF said that the war in the Middle East has severely disrupted countries in that region and has made the economic outlooks of many other countries bleak.