World Trends 2010

From a statistical point of view, identifying a trend and estimating the future trend development belong to the most difficult tasks. Outside statistics, the term “trend” is used prettey carelesssly. Present impressions are often extrapolated into the future. Within this article only such developments are supposed to be outlined from which can be expected that they will influence or affect the world economy in the next years. Such are particularly changes in relative prices of raw materials, food and industrial products, the shift in economic power relations and the effect of demographic change on some countries strongly affected by it. Some elements of these developments however can in combination with the worldwide reactions on the present financial crisis lead to going back to a more or less distinct protectionsim.