Marginal increase in world trade volumes

The volume of world merchandise trade increased modestly in the first quarter of 2015, with growth in both exports and imports registering slower growth than over the previous six months.

This according to preliminary estimates issued on Wednesday by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) noting that world trade grew by a marginal 0.7% in the first three months of 2015.

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 more. In contrast, exports from developed countries fell by 0.5% the same period, with US 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.