Trade : India for political guidance on systemic challenges to MTS (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
India has called for "political guidance" from trade ministers invited for an informal ministerial summit on 19 March for addressing "systemic challenges, particularly its dispute settlement arm," as well as on negotiating issues that are currently lacking a work program at the World Trade Organization, trade envoys told SUNS.

Finance : Volatility is back in markets, says BIS (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
Stock markets worldwide underwent a sharp correction in late January and early February, with the release of a labour market report showing higher than expected wage growth in the United States heralding a burst of heightened activity, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has said.

Opinion : Trump's trade war in perspective (PRIV)
(IPS, Sydney/Kuala Lumpur)
Sydney/Kuala Lumpur, 12 Mar (IPS/Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram*) -- US President Donald Trump's recent announcement of steep tariffs on steel and aluminium imports seems to have shocked US allies, even though these were among his 2016 election promises.