By Gavekal Capital Blog on October 15, 2015 in Business The Slowdown In Global Trade In 6 Charts by Eric Bush, CFA, Gavekal Capital The last two US recessions have severely damaged the growth rate in global trade. In each case, the trend growth rate of trade since 1991 (which is when the CPB World Trade Monitor data begins) was effectively cut by at least a percent. Emerging markets have helped to keep global trade afloat especially relative to developed markets, however, even in emerging markets we have seen a step down in the growth rate of trade. In each of the charts, we index import or export data at 100 starting on 1/31/1991. We then plot growth trend lines as an easy way of identifying a pick up or slow down in trade. For example, world imports grew at growth rate slightly above 7% from 1991 to 2000. By the end of the technology stock bust, trend growth had fallen to about 6%. World imports again picked up steam starting in 2003 and nearly reached a 7% growth rate before the global financial crisis. Since the financial crisis, however, trend growth since 1991 has fallen to nearly 5%. The trajectory in world exports is nearly identical to that of world imports. http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/10/th...m_campaign=EMAIL_DAILY&utm_content=quick_link