World Bulletin / News Desk

A decision by Scotland to break away from the United Kingdom next week could prompt negative market reaction in the short-term due to uncertainty over the country's future economic policies, the IMF said on Thursday.

"The main immediate effect is likely to be uncertainty over the transition to potentially new and different monetary, financial and fiscal frameworks in Scotland," Bill Murray, spokesman at the International Monetary Fund, told reporters.

"Longer-term effects would depend on the decisions being made during the transition," he added.