Mounting trade tensions, an increase in trade-restrictive measures and continuing economic uncertainty created real challenges for world trade in 2018, with trade projected to grow by just 2.6 percent this year, according to the 2019 World Trade Organization, WTO report, cited by WAM.
"These factors and a deceleration in overall economic activity slowed momentum in global trade, restricting merchandise trade growth to 3 percent compared with 4.6 per cent in 2017," said WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, in a forward message in the report.