Thursday, April 29, 2010

Post-crisis trade recovering (but not fast enough)!

Merchandise trade volume grew in the Q4 2009 in the G7 countries, albeit at a slower pace than in Q3 2009. Though trade volumes and values have recovered since the plunge in Q3 2008 and Q1 2009, their level is still below the pre-crisis levels of mid-2008 (by almost 20 percent lower to pre-crisis level). Import and export volumes from G7 countries rose 3.1% and 3.9% respectively. The more rise in imports by G7 countries, the better is the chance of developing countries benefiting from the trade recovery, assuming that majority of imports by G7 countries come from the developing countries!
 
 Here is real GDP figures (see the plunge!)