Trade monitoring
Introduction
Trade Profiles contain detailed information on merchandise trade flows, including top products traded by each economy, an expanded section on trade in commercial services, as well as statistics on intellectual property. The information, available for WTO members, observers, and other selected economies, is derived from multiple domains, such as customs statistics, national accounts, Balance of Payments statistics, Foreign AffiliaTes Statistics (FATS), and industrial property statistics. Data are sourced from WTO Secretariat and external sources and presented in standardized and visualized format for quick reference.
Towards a new digital era
This section describes the rise of digital technologies and identifies the technological forces that have helped propel their growth. It examines how digital technologies are changing the economy by giving rise to new markets, goods and services, and discusses some of the concerns that have arisen in parallel regarding privacy, market concentration, the impact on productivity and the digital divide. The section also discusses the methodological and data challenges involved in trying to measure the value of digital transactions and digital trade, and provides estimates culled from international organizations and national authorities, as well as financial reports from a number of well-known firms.
Recent trends in international trade
The world economy expanded by 3.3 per cent in 2005, less rapidly than in 2004, but still slightly faster than the decade average. Economic growth remained strong in most regions although less buoyant than in the preceding year. Only Europe’s economy continued to record low GDP growth – less than half the rate observed in North America. In contrast to Europe, Japan experienced a strengthening of economic activity. In light of slower economic growth worldwide in 2005 and of oil market developments, merchandise trade growth – like GDP growth – decelerated in real terms, but still exceeded the average for the last decade.
Commerce, dette et finances
En 2012, la communauté internationale s’intéressant beaucoup à la question du commerce et des finances, il y a eu des progrès dans ce domaine. Par exemple, le Groupe de travail du commerce, de la dette et des finances de l’OMC a poursuivi l’examen de la relation entre les taux de change et le commerce en organisant au mois de mars un séminaire qui a réuni des responsables politiques et des universitaires.