The world economy is starting to pull out of recession, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday, marking up its growth forecasts for next year and hinting that it might reduce its estimates for bank losses.

"The recovery is coming," said Olivier Blanchard, IMF chief economist. But he cautioned "it is likely to be a weak recovery" and said policymakers needed to guard against ongoing economic and financial risks. However, investors signalled their doubts about the strength of any economic recovery by selling off commodities, notably oil and gold, and stocks.