Reply #3: Trade has fallen off a cliff .... it's very alarming what's going on world wide

[RedEarth]

...more from the article you posted....

Trade data from Asia's export tigers has been disastrous over recent weeks, reflecting the collapse in US, UK and European markets...

A report by ING yesterday said shipping activity at US ports has suddenly dived. Outbound traffic from Long Beach and Los Angeles, America's two top ports, has fallen by 18pc year-on-year, a far more serious decline than anything seen in recent recessions.

"This is no regular cycle slowdown, but a complete collapse in foreign demand," said Lindsay Coburn, ING's trade consultant....

........

A few days ago I posted a chart showing trade cliff diving....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=114x53817