World Bank: Policy uncertainty threatens trade

Political uncertainty is slowing trade growth, a World Bank report has concluded, indicating that the rise of Donald Trump may already be casting a shadow over the global economy. Major international institutions such as the IMF, the OECD and World Bank have recently upgraded their forecasts of global economic growth largely due to expectations that tax cuts, rising infrastructure spending and a wave of deregulation will boost the US economy under the new president, the Financial Times reports.  But the report by World Bank economists, released on Tuesday, highlights the fragile state of one historically important engine of global growth: trade.  The study avoids naming Trump, but highlights rising protectionism and threats to unwind trade agreements, such as those made by the president.