Download or read book IMF Staff papers, Volume 45 No. 3 written by International Monetary Fund. Research Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper presents international evidence on the determinants of trade dynamics. It provides some new empirical perspectives on the relationship between international trade and macroeconomic fluctuations in industrial economies. A comprehensive set of stylized facts concerning fluctuations in trade variables and their determinants is presented. A measure of the quantitative importance of international trade for the propagation of domestic business cycles is then constructed, focusing on the role of external trade as a catalyst for cyclical recoveries.