Demand for electronic components related to artificial intelligence helped offset headwinds from the conflict in the Middle East and kept global merchandise trade resilient in the first half of the year, the World Bank said. World Trade Organization (The World Trade Organization) said on Friday (June 5) press release.
Latest from the organization Commodity trade barometer It showed that on a scale where values greater than 100 represent trading volumes above the trend, the electronic components were measured at 105.5, according to the release.
Electronic components outperformed the other five commodity trade categories in the measure, including container freight at 102.4, air freight at 102.2, export orders at 100.5, automotive products at 99.8, and raw materials at 98.9, according to the statement.
“The negative impact of the conflict in the Middle East may have been partially offset by increased demand for electronic components related to investment in artificial intelligence,” the statement said.
The overall commodity trade gauge figure was measured at 101.7, slightly lower than January’s value of 102.3 but still above the core value of 100, according to the statement.
“Overall, the indicators show signs of resilience, indicating relatively stable growth of global merchandise trade,” the statement said.
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On a Friday mail “Goods trade is resilient despite conflict in the Middle East and rising energy prices,” the World Trade Organization said on social media platform X.
Commodity trade is resilient despite conflict in the Middle East and rising energy prices #WTOStats#GlobalTrade https://t.co/WIjSKgMIuK pic.twitter.com/aAGyVj6kFK
– World Trade Organization (@ World Trade Organization) June 5, 2026
The World Trade Organization highlighted the contribution of artificial intelligence to global trade in two previous reports.
The organization said in October Goods related to artificial intelligence It accounted for nearly half of the overall growth in global merchandise trade in the first half of 2025. In World Trade Outlook and Statistics issued at the time, the World Trade Organization said that while AI-related products accounted for 15% of global imports and exports during that period, they accounted for 43% of global trade growth.
The World Trade Organization added in October that much of the momentum for AI-related trade has shifted beyond the United States, with Asian suppliers and emerging markets playing a larger role.
“This reinforces the view that the expansion of AI-related trade is not entirely driven by recent developments in trade policy but represents a broader structural wave of investment in digital infrastructure,” the WTO said at the time.
In September, the World Trade Organization said that artificial intelligence could be transformative Global trade By 2040. In its World Trade Report 2025, the organization said that with the right policies in place, AI could increase the value of cross-border flows of goods and services by about 40% by 2040, due to productivity gains and lower trade costs.
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