On April 18, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis published a study on recent trends in international trade. It finds that the availability of trade finance is a major factor.
On April 10, economist Yuqing Xing published a commentary showing that the way trade statistics are calculated exaggerates the U.S.-China trade deficit, using the iPhone as an example.
On April 7, the World Trade Organization published data showing that 2010 was the biggest year for the growth of world trade since 1950, with a 14.5 percent increase. It expects slower growth of 6.5 percent this year.
A March 25 commentary by economists Theresa Carpenter and Andreas Lendle finds that 16.3 percent of world trade was eligible for preferences given to low-income countries in 2008. These preferences lowered the global trade-weighted tariff rate from 3 percent to 2 percent.
On March 18, the Swiss Economic Institute released its annual Index of Globalization.
On March 16, the American Enterprise Institute published a study of public opinion on international trade. It finds that Americans are deeply ambivalent.
A March 10 working paper from the Asian Development Bank urged developing countries to ease restriction on the importation of services.
On March 3, the Congressional Research Service published a report on European preferential trade agreements.
On February 28, the CRS published a report on the impact of rising oil prices on the trade deficit.
On February 4, the CRS published a report on how World Trade Organization rulings affect U.S. law.
I last posted items on this topic on March 2.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
