Where Trade Matters Most
A chart-based look at the state of world trade.
Cargo passes through the Panama Canal on December 4th, 2019.
Photographer: Nicolo Filippo Rosso/Bloomberg
Amid U.S.-China trade talks, policy uncertainty put a dent in global trade, with prolonged tensions pointing to a slow recovery in 2020. The pain has been acute in Asia, where manufacturing, already in a slowdown, fell into a tailspin as companies held back on investment and reworked supply chains. Elsewhere the mood turned dark; in Germany, for example, business managers digested Trump tariff threats. Here we’ve tracked some key gauges that speak to the health of global trade and where things are headed. For more, check out Bloomberg’s Trade Tracker at NI TRADETRACK.
Economies in Asia have pushed ahead on trade deals, finalizing regional pacts and negotiating bilaterally among themselves and with partners in Europe and the Americas. Some growth engines in Asia have championed open markets, even in the face of populist pressures there. High reliance on trade carries risks: Some of these nations could see growth suffer greatly in an all-out trade war.