The volume of world merchandise trade increased modestly in the first quarter of 2015, with slower growth in both exports and imports than over the previous six months, according to preliminary estimates issued by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
World trade as measured by the average of exports and imports grew 0.7% in the first three months of 2015, based on seasonally adjusted data, according to a WTO official release.
World exports increased by 0.4% in the first quarter of this year, down from the 2.1% growth registered in the previous quarter. Imports grew by 0.9% in the same period, down from 1.5% in the previous quarter.
Exports from developing and emerging economies rose 1.5% in the first quarter, with all regions except Asia registering growth of 3% or greater. In contrast, exports from developed countries fell by 0.5% in the same period, with U.S exports decelerating by 4.5%.
Developing and emerging economies increased their imports by 0.6% in the first quarter, with South and Central America and the Caribbean registering strong import growth at 6.8%. Developed economies increased their imports by 1.3%, led by stronger import growth in Europe and North America.
FDI declines, too
Meanwhile, following recent lackluster growth in the global economy, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in 2014 declined 16% to US$1.2 trillion, UNCTAD said in its newly released World Investment Report 2015.
Photo: Christian Frausto Bernal
