IMF chief calls on US to raise debt limit

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde holds a news briefing at the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington July 6, 2011.

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde holds a news briefing at the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington July 6, 2011.

Published Jul 10, 2011

Share

The International Monetary Fund's new chief says there would be “real nasty consequences” for the US and global economies if the US fails to raises its borrowing limit.

Christine Lagarde tells ABC's “This Week” that interest rates would rise and stock markets would fall.

The US borrowing limit is $14.3 trillion. Obama administration officials say the US would begin to default without an agreement by August 2.

Lagarde also discussed the fallout stemming from the sexual assault charges filed against her predecessor at the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

She says the scandal caused “a very strange chemistry of frustration, irritation, sometimes anger, sometimes very deep sadness” among the IMF's 2,500 employees.

Lagarde is a former French finance minister. She's the first woman to lead the IMF. - Sapa-AP

Related Topics: