October 7, 2026
The International Monetary Fund has warned that successive crises – represented by economic inflation, the Covid-19 pandemic, and ongoing wars around the world – continue to put pressure on commodity prices, especially basic ones, keeping them at permanently high levels.
The Fund explained, in a recent report published on its website and reported by Agence France-Presse, that the prices of basic commodities continue to rise compared to other commodities, indicating that consumers are not only facing a temporary wave in food and energy prices, but are also facing a permanent decline in the ability to afford these commodities.
The international institution attributed these pressures to the disruption of global supply chains due to the pandemic, and the repercussions of the war in Ukraine on food and energy production, in addition to the conflict in the Middle East, which led to a new wave of high prices for energy and fertilizers extracted from oil derivatives.
Families around the world are facing a sharp rise in the cost of living in light of the stagnation of wages and their failure to keep pace with the pace of rising prices. According to International Monetary Fund estimates, the war in the Middle East is expected to raise the global inflation rate to 4.7% during the current year, compared to 4.1% in 2025. (Note this was mentioned in the original text)
