World Bank Sees ‘Significant’ Inflation Risk From High Energy Prices

WASHINGTON—Energy prices are expected to inch up successful 2022 aft surging much than 80 percent successful 2021, fueling important near-term risks to planetary ostentation successful galore processing countries, the World Bank said successful its latest Commodity Markets Outlook connected Thursday.

The multilateral improvement slope said energy prices should commencement to diminution successful the 2nd fractional of 2022 arsenic proviso constraints ease, with non-energy prices specified arsenic agriculture and metals besides expected to easiness aft beardown gains successful 2021.

“The surge successful vigor prices poses important near-term risks to planetary ostentation and, if sustained, could besides measurement connected maturation successful energy-importing countries,” said Ayhan Kose, main economist and manager of the World Bank’s Prospects Group, which produces the Outlook report.

“The crisp rebound successful commodity prices is turning retired to beryllium much pronounced than antecedently projected. Recent volatility successful prices whitethorn complicate argumentation choices arsenic countries retrieve from past year’s planetary recession.”

The International Monetary Fund, successful a separate blog, said it expected vigor prices to revert to “more mean levels” aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth erstwhile heating request ebbs and supplies adjust. But it warned that uncertainty remained precocious and tiny request shocks could trigger caller terms spikes.

The World Bank noted that immoderate commodity prices roseate to oregon exceeded levels successful 2021 not seen since a spike a decennary earlier.

Natural state and ember prices, for instance, reached grounds highs amid proviso constraints and rebounding request for electricity, though they are expected to diminution successful 2022 arsenic request eases and proviso improves, the slope said.

It warned that further terms spikes could hap successful the near-term fixed existent debased inventories and persistent proviso bottlenecks. Other hazard factors included utmost upwind events, the uneven COVID-19 betterment and the menace of much outbreaks, on with supply-chain disruptions and biology policies.

Higher nutrient prices were besides driving up food-price ostentation and raising questions astir nutrient information successful respective processing countries, it said.

The slope projected crude lipid prices would scope $74/bbl successful 2022, buoyed by strengthening request from a projected $70/bbl successful 2021, earlier easing to $65/bbl successful 2023.

The usage of crude lipid arsenic a substitute for earthy state presented a large upside hazard to the request outlook, though higher vigor prices whitethorn commencement to measurement connected planetary growth.

The slope forecast a 5 percent driblet successful metals prices successful 2022 aft a 48 percent summation successful 2021. It said cultivation prices were expected to diminution modestly adjacent twelvemonth aft jumping 22 percent this year.

It warned that changing upwind patterns owed to clime alteration besides posed a increasing hazard to vigor markets, perchance affecting some request and supply.

It said countries could payment by accelerating installation of renewable vigor sources and by cutting their dependency connected fossil fuels.

By Andrea Shalal