NEW YORK: The World Trade Organization reported a rise in its quarterly trade barometer on Thursday, driven by frontloading purchases but likely to be short-lived as weakening export orders suggest a slowdown later in the year.

The WTO Goods Trade Barometer rose to 103.5, above the baseline of 100 dividing above- and below-trend trade volumes and slightly above a March reading of 102.8.

“The decline in export orders and the temporary nature of frontloading suggest that trade growth may slow in the months ahead,” the WTO said in a statement.—Reuters