Trade Policy Activity is raising

A new Trade Policy Activity (TPA) index by WTO and IMF economists shows a marked rise in trade policy activity during 2025-26, alongside heightened trade policy tensions among large economies, against the backdrop of an overall upward trend.

The index shows that facilitating measures – those that ease trade by reducing barriers or improving customs procedures – have lost relative momentum in recent years (with an exception during the Strait of Hormuz crisis, where they represent over two-thirds of all measures taken) while other trade measures, including restrictive ones, have pulled ahead, with the 2025 surge extending well beyond the largest economies. Understanding these shifts is increasingly important, as trade policy plays a growing role in shaping global supply chains, economic resilience and geopolitical dynamics.

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Source:IMF