Evaporating inflation and slowing growth have put financial markets into such a spin that they could inflict further damage on the world economy. With the Fed set to turn off its money taps at the end of this month, investors appear to have woken up to poor growth prospects in much of the world, something International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has termed a “new mediocre”. At the same time, the drop in oil prices is as much a reflection of supply as demand factors,” economists at Goldman Sachs said in a note.