Dispute Issues Driving World Trade Outlook Barometer Lower

(GENEVA, SWITZERLAND) The growth of world merchandise trade volumes is likely to remain weak in the third quarter of 2019 according to the WTO’s Goods Trade Barometer. The latest reading of 95.7 from the barometer, formerly the World Trade Outlook Indicator (WTOI), is lower than the previous release and signals that stronger trade growth is not yet in sight. The barometer suggests that below-trend expansion in merchandise trade will persist in the coming months. Sustained weakness in the barometer index was driven by below-trend values in all component indices. The international air freight (91.4) and electronic components (90.7) indices showed the strongest deviations from trend, with readings well below previous releases. Indices for export orders (97.5), automobile production (93.5) and agricultural raw materials (97.1) all remained below trend although they show some signs of having bottomed out. Only the index for container shipping (99.0) was close to the baseline value of 100. Last month, the Director-General’s mid-year report underlined that trade flows hit by new restrictions continued to be at historically high levels. Tensions leading to higher trade barriers and greater uncertainty pose significant downside risks to trade growth forecasts.