WTO SAYS VALUE OF MERCHANDISE TRADE ROSE 17% IN FOURTH QUARTER

New York, March 15 (Bloomberg)- The value of world merchandise trade climbed 17 percent in the fourth quarter, with goods exports up 22 percent in the full year, the World Trade Organization said.

Statistics from about 70 economies representing 90 percent of world commerce show that trade in goods slipped in December, mainly as a result of seasonal variations, the Geneva-based WTO said on its website yesterday. “Nonetheless, this year-end value is above the comparable pre-crisis level of December 2008,” the trade arbiter said.

South and Central America enjoyed the fastest growth in the quarter, with exports increasing 25 percent and imports up 30 percent from a year earlier. Exports from Asia advanced about 23 percent while imports grew 22 percent on the year, the WTO said.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy forecast in September that the volume of world trade would rise 13.5 percent in 2010, raising his March forecast for 9.5 percent growth. The figures released yesterday refer to current U.S. dollars, meaning they don’t take inflation into account and aren’t seasonally adjusted.

The trade arbiter will release a more comprehensive analysis of 2010 as well as the latest trends and a forecast for 2011 in early April.

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