Virus Shutdowns Spared Few Nations the Blight of Weak Trade

(Bloomberg) --

Measures introduced in March to contain the coronavirus pandemic hit trade across Group of 20 economies in the first quarter. Compared with the previous three months, exports fell 4.3% and imports 3.9% and are now at their lowest levels since the second quarter of 2017, according to the OECD. “Early indications for April point to more precipitous falls in the second quarter, with Korean and Japanese exports, for example, falling 21.5% and 10.6%, respectively, compared with March 2020,” the Paris-based organization said on Thursday.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.