Commodity Terms Of Trade

This paper presents a comprehensive database of country-specific commodity price indices for 182 economies covering the period 1962-2018. For each country, the change in the international price of up to 45 individual commodities is weighted using commodity-level trade data. The database includes a commodity terms-of-trade index—which proxies the windfall gains and losses of income associated with changes in world prices—as well as additional country-specific series, including commodity export and import price indices. We provide indices that are constructed using, alternatively, fixed weights (based on average trade flows over several decades) and time-varying weights (which can account for time variation in the mix of commodities traded and the overall importance of commodities in economic activity). The paper also discusses the dynamics of commodity terms of trade across country groups and their influence on key macroeconomic aggregates.

We compile a historical dataset covering nearly 40 years of booms and busts in the commodity terms of trade of over 150 countries. We discuss the characteristics of these events and their effects on macroeconomic performance and, in particular, compare the most recent commodity-price cycle with its historical precedents.

Commodity prices have declined sharply over the past three years, and output growth has slowed considerably among countries that are net exporters of commodities. A critical question for policy makers in these economies is whether commodity windfalls influence potential output. Our analysis suggests that both actual and potential output move together with commodity terms of trade, but that actual output comoves twice as strongly as potential output. The weak commodity price outlook is estimated to subtract 1 to 21⁄4 percentage points from actual output growth annually on average during 2015-17. The forecast drag on potential output is about one-third of that for actual output.

"We compile a historical dataset covering nearly 40 years of booms and busts in the commodity terms of trade of over 150 countries. We discuss the characteristics of these events and their effects on macroeconomic performance and, in particular, compare the most recent commodity-price cycle with its historical precedents."--Abstract.

Have you ever wondered what a term in international economics means? This useful reference book offers a glossary of terms in both international trade and international finance, with emphasis on economic issues. It is intended for students getting their first exposure to international economics, although advanced students will also find it useful for some of the more obscure terms that they have forgotten or never encountered. Besides an extensive glossary of terms that has been expanded about 50% from the first edition, there is a picture gallery of diagrams used to explain key concepts such as the Edgeworth Production Box and the Offer Curve Diagram in international economics. This section is followed by over 30 lists of terms that occur a lot in international economics, grouped by subject to help users find terms that they cannot recall. Prior to an enlarged bibliography is an expanded section on the origins of terms in international economics, which records what the author has been able to learn about the origins of some of the terms used in international economics. This is a must-have portable glossary in international trade and international economics!. Sample Chapter(s). Glossary of Terms in International Economics (1,370 KB). Contents: Glossary of Terms in International Economics: A-Z; 0OCo9; Picture Gallery: Edgeworth Production Box; Integrated World Economy Diagram; IS-LM-BP Diagram; Lerner Diagram; Offer Curve Diagram; Specific-Factors Model; Tariff in Partial Equilibrium; Trade and Transformation Curve Diagram; Lists of Terms in International Economics by Subject: Arguments for Protection; Central Banks; Countertrade; Country Groups; Crises; Development Banks; Effects; Empirical Findings; Exchange Regimes; Fragmentation: Terms and Types; GATT and WTO Ministerials; GATT Articles; Indexes; International Classification Systems; International Commodity Agreements and Organizations; Memberships; Models; Nontariff Barriers; Other Nontariff Measures; Paradoxes and Puzzles; Preferential Trading Arrangements; Product-Specific Agreements, Institutions, and Conflicts; Regional Commissions for Economic and Social Development; Spanish Acronyms in International Economics; Techniques of Analysis; Terms of Trade Definitions; Theoretical Propositions; Trade Disputes; Trade Ministries; Trade Rounds; UNCTAD Meetings; United Nations Organizations; United States Government Units (Dealing with International Economic Matters); Origins of Certain Key Terms in International Economics. Readership: Undergraduates and graduate students in international economics; government and industry personnel related to international economics and finance."

Fluctuations of commodity prices, most notably of oil, capture considerable attention and have been tied to important economic effects. This book advances our understanding of the consequences of these fluctuations, providing both general analysis and a particular focus on the countries of the Pacific Rim.