Global trade to maintain better growth: WTO

GENEVA, Feb 12 (Reuters): Global trade in goods will continue growing above trend during the second quarter, the quarterly outlook indicator of World Trade Organisation (WTO) showed on Monday.

The indicator, a composite published since the third quarter of 2016, showed a reading of 102.3, compared to 102.2 last November.

All the indicator's seven components were positive except for trade in electronic components, which fell to 94.1 from 103.3 in the previous quarter, possibly indicating a weakening of consumer sentiment, the WTO said in a statement.

"Growth is still above trend," WTO economist Coleman Nee told Reuters.

"The recovery of 2017 seems to be extending into the first quarter of 2018 at least, based on things like strong export orders, strong air freight and container shipping and other indicators. So it seems like there hasn't been any slackening of momentum."

The strongest component of the index was container port throughput at 104.3, its highest score since the WTO began publishing the indicator.