International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Saturday urged Asian nations to employ growth-friendly monetary and fiscal policies to counter challenges posed by a fragile global economy. The call comes as policymakers the world over are struggling to revive their economies, which have been buffeted by slowing productivity and high debt. Central banks in Europe and Japan have resorted to negative interest rates to stimulate consumer demand and perk up worryingly low inflation. But the strategy has added to the volatility in the financial markets and raised the specter of competitive currency ... (full story)