The Collapse of International Trade During the 2008-2009 Crisis: In Search of the Smoking Gun

Andrei Levchenko, Logan Lewis and Linda Tesar ()

No 16006, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: One of the most striking aspects of the recent recession is the collapse in international trade. This paper uses disaggregated data on U.S. imports and exports to shed light on the anatomy of this collapse. We find that the recent reduction in trade relative to overall economic activity is far larger than in previous downturns. Information on quantities and prices of both domestic absorption and imports reveals a 40% shortfall in imports, relative to what would be predicted by a simple import demand relationship. In a sample of imports and exports disaggregated at the 6-digit NAICS level, we find that sectors used as intermediate inputs experienced significantly higher percentage reductions in both imports and exports. We also find support for compositional effects: sectors with larger reductions in domestic output had larger drops in trade. By contrast, we find no support for the hypothesis that trade credit played a role in the recent trade collapse.

JEL-codes: F41 F42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-05
Note: IFM ITI
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (328)

Published as Andrei A Levchenko & Logan T Lewis & Linda L Tesar, 2010. "The Collapse of International Trade during the 2008–09 Crisis: In Search of the Smoking Gun," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 58(2), pages 214-253, December.

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Working Paper: The Collapse of International Trade During the 2008-2009 Crisis: In Search of the Smoking Gun (2010)
Working Paper: The Collapse of International Trade During the 2008-2009 Crisis: In Search of the Smoking Gun (2009)
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