Hijjah, 1431/Dec. 01, 2010, SPA -- The value of trade in goods in the third quarter this year rose by 18 per cent compared to the same period in 2009, the World Trade Organization reported Wednesday. This was a decline from the 26-per-cent increase registered year- on-year in the second quarter of 2010. The figures are based on statistics from dozens of countries that together make up about 90 per cent of world trade. From January to September this year, trade expanded by 23 per cent, but was still below its peak, prior to the world economic crisis, dpa quoted the Geneva-based commerce body as saying. Global merchandise exports were about 3 percent higher from July through September than in the previous three-month period. WTO short-term merchandise trade values are expressed in "current" US dollars, not taking into account inflation. They are not seasonally adjusted. The WTO raised its outlook in September, predicting 13.5 per cent merchandise trade volume growth for 2010 and did not revise the figure in its latest update.
