Global Trade is Moving On — Without the U.S.

One way of looking at China’s trade economy in December and for the full 2025 year is its export surge, amplified by a weak currency, deflation at home, and inflation in most of the rest of the world. China pumped up total monthly exports 6.6% to $357.8 billion in December from $335.6 billion over the… Continue reading Global Trade is Moving On — Without the U.S.

TDM’s Top 10 Trade Trends to Watch in 2026

container yard closeup, port of ningbo zhoushan, China

Happy New Year. While we wait on the Supreme Court to rule whether the Trump administration is entitled to apply tariffs on national security grounds, global trade grinds on. We at Trade Data Monitor are paying attention to what’s happening via the prism of official trade statistics. It’s a radically different world than when I started covering… Continue reading TDM’s Top 10 Trade Trends to Watch in 2026

What’s Behind the High-Tech Trade Slump?

Two young women in VR glasses doing experiments in robotics in a laboratory. Robot on the table

It’s not been an easy time for international trade, as a recent report co-authored by Trade Data Monitor and the World Intellectual Property Organization found. High-tech exports are set to decline by 4 percent in 2023, according to the TDM/WIPO analysis. Global and high-tech trade have soared and sunk like rollercoasters since 2019. After the… Continue reading What’s Behind the High-Tech Trade Slump?

Trade Data Monitor’s Top 10 Trade Trends Going Into 2024

Aerial view container cargo ship, import export commerce global business trade logistic and transportation of worldwide by container cargo ship boat in the open sea, Freight shipping maritime.

It’s not an easy time for global trade–the roughly $25 trillion piece of the $105 trillion world economy. Protectionism is roaring in the U.S. and Europe, causing geopolitical tension with China. Inflation across most of the world has shrunk consumers’ wallets and imports, while deflation in China is also scaring businesses. Asian supply chains are… Continue reading Trade Data Monitor’s Top 10 Trade Trends Going Into 2024

Turkey Hikes Exports of Military-Goods Exported to Russia

A recent Financial Times article, based on data supplied by Trade Data Monitor, detailed the increase in Turkish exports of military-linked goods to Russia in the first nine months of 2023. This has magnified U.S. concerns over the trade of 45 “high-profile” items subject to export controls and heightened tensions with NATO partners. The FT… Continue reading Turkey Hikes Exports of Military-Goods Exported to Russia