Israel-Hamas conflict is 'new cloud' darkening economic outlook: IMF chief

MARRAKECH: International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday said the Israel-Hamas conflict was "heartbreaking" and threatened to darken the already tepid global economic outlook.

"We are closely monitoring how the situation evolves, how it is affecting, especially oil markets," Georgieva said. She said there had been some fluctuations in oil prices and reactions in markets but it was too early to predict the economic impact.

"Very clearly, this is a new cloud on not the safest horizon for the world economy, a new cloud darkening this horizon - and of course, not needed," she told a news conference at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank.