Thursday, September 2, 2010

Global trade is recovering...

World merchandise exports increase by 7% in the Q2 2010 in comparison to Q1 2010 and the value of world merchandise trade rose by approximately 25% in the first six months of 2010, says the WTO. Amidst fears of double-dip recession in the US, debt crisis, and fiscal tightening in the developed economies, this is at least a  good news, though it is not guaranteed how long it will last.
World merchandise exports, first quarter 2007 to second quarter 2010; Indices, first quarter 2005=100
The global recession led to a fall in global GDP by 0.6% in 2009 and volume of world exports by 12.2%. The fall in trade was primarily a result of a drop in demand (and according to the World Bank, the rise in tariffs and anti-dumping duties explains less than one-fiftieth of the collapse in world trade during the recession.). Note that both developed and emerging nations' exports and imports are recovering.