Direction of Trade Statistics, September 2017

This paper discusses the complete set of updated country notes is accessible from the IFS Online Service internet site (in the Metadata tab), and appear on the DVD-ROM edition of IFS under the Publications tab. A print edition of Country Notes may be ordered separately by subscribers of the DVD-ROM. The sources for the unit labor cost data are the OECD Analytical Database (quarterly unit labor cost in manufacturing) and IMF staff (annual data interpolated into higher frequencies). Euro area unit labor cost is used as a proxy for a number of economies for which data are unavailable: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and Slovak Republic. For manufactured goods, trade by type of good and market is distinguished in the database. For primary products, the weights assigned depend principally on a country’s role as a global supplier or buyer of the product. Trade in crude petroleum, petroleum, and other energy products are excluded. For some countries that heavily depend on tourism, bilateral exports of tourism services averaged over 2004–2006 are also included in calculating the competitiveness weights.

This paper provides notes to the country tables in the monthly issues provide information about exceptions in the choice of the consumer price index and the period average exchange rate index. For a relatively small number of countries, notes in the country tables in the monthly issues indicate where alternative price indices, such as the wholesale/producer price index or a weighted average of several price indices, are used; where data constraints have made it necessary to use weighting schemes based on aggregate bilateral non-oil trade data; and where trade in services (such as tourism) has been taken into account. When a country joins the IMF, it is assigned a quota that fits into the structure of existing quotas. Quotas are considered in the light of the member’s economic characteristics, and taking into account quotas of similar countries. Quotas are reviewed at intervals of not more than five years. The reviews take account of changes in the relative economic positions of members and the growth of the world economy.

Expansive and engaging, this book investigates the fluidity of sites of power and authority in global politics. Examining the key shifts and turns of politics in globally oriented spaces since the end of the Cold War, contributions from leading scholars explore the continually shifting parameters of global governance.

A comprehensive overview of the latest developments in world trade, covering the details of merchandise trade by product and trade in commercial services World Trade Statistical Review 2017 looks into the latest developments in world trade, with a detailed analysis of the most recent trends for trade in goods and services. The publication also looks into trade in value-added terms and the latest trade policy developments, highlighting recent trends in WTO members' use of trade-restrictive and trade-facilitating measures. In addition, it provides information on the participation of developing economies in world trade, Aid-for-Trade financial commitments and implementation of the WTO's landmark Trade Facilitation Agreement. The analytical chapters are complemented by a statistical appendix of over 60 tables providing comprehensive data on various facets of world trade in goods and services.