CFTC adopts rule excluding casino-style gambling from swap definition
The agency says the measure codifies its longstanding position and becomes effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register.
World trade hit $35 trillion in 2025 as access barriers grew, UNCTAD says
The UN agency said technology and policy restrictions limited developing countries’ participation, while financial risks and pressure on development finance increased.
Trade worldwide totaled a record $35 trillion in 2025, UNCTAD said on October 9, 2026, but new barriers involving technology and policy prevented developing economies from participating more fully.
The UN trade and development agency pointed to tighter export controls, investment screening and supply-chain conditions as obstacles to entering strategic industries. Senior UNCTAD official Anastasia Nesvetailova said traditional considerations such as cheap labor now account for only a small share of corporate investment decisions. Value is instead shifting toward sectors including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, clean energy and advanced computing, where entry barriers are increasing.
UNCTAD said price increases associated with the global energy shock from the US-Iran war were continuing to lift trade values in 2026. Trade between the United States and China has declined by more than 20% since 2024, while East Asian economies have strengthened trading ties with China and North America.
Nesvetailova said Asia would account for 60% of global growth in 2026 despite a slowing global economy. Outside a small group of Asian economies, most of the Global South is losing ground, UNCTAD said, with weaker growth accompanied by rising financial risks and strained development finance.
The agency called for sustained support for domestic industries, alongside training, research and foreign investment linked to local suppliers, to help developing countries participate in trade.