The World Trade Organisation (WTO) expresses optimism about the continued growth of the global trade in the first quarter (Q1) of the current calendar year.
The latest World Trade Outlook Indicator (WTOI), released yesterday (Monday), indicates that the trade recovery of 2017 should continue, with solid trade volume growth in the first quarter of 2018.
“The WTOI’s current value of 102.3 is little changed from the 102.2 recorded last November, indicating steady merchandise trade volume growth,” said a press statement of the WTO.
“Strong results for air freight, container shipping and export orders in particular suggest that, while the trade recovery may moderate in due course, it will likely continue in the coming months and remain above trend,” it added.
The WTOI is designed to provide ‘real time’ information on the trajectory of global trade relative to recent trends and it is not intended as a short-term forecast.
The indicator, however, does provide an indication of trade growth in the near future.
“Its main contribution is to identify turning points and gauge momentum in global trade growth,” said the press statement.