A long-term assessment of world trade

- "The fall of the Iron Curtain was followed in the early 1990s by a surge in globalisation that sent global exports rising sharply. World trade rose from USD 5.4 tr in 1990 (equivalent to some 16% of global GDP at 2009 prices) to its all-time high of USD 15.5 tr in 2008 (24.4%). The global downturn triggered by the financial crisis reduced global trade to around USD 10.1 tr in 2009. Developments since then have varied widely in the individual countries and regions. Analysing bilateral trade flows is therefore a worthwhile way of tackling economic issues, such as how global imbalances materialise."
DeutscheBank Talking Point 20100630