World trade growth continues to slow -institute

GENEVA, July 18 (Reuters) - Growth in world trade volumes continued on a downward trend in May, the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis said on Friday.

Growth in the 12 months to end-May was 6.6 percent higher than in the previous 12 months, compared with a high in the current cycle of 9.5 percent in November 2006, it said.

The figures come as ministers gather in Geneva for make-or-break negotiations on the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Doha round talks to boost world trade.

On a three-month moving average, trade was only 1.0 percent higher at an annual rate in the three months ended May than in the previous three months, CPB said. In the three months ended February, trade was up by 5.9 percent.

The decline in the three-month figure reflected a slowdown in emerging market import growth and a swing in U.S. imports from growth to a steep fall, it said.

In May itself world trade volume fell 0.5 percent from April, when it rose an upwards revised 2.4 percent.

CPB provides trade data to the EU Commission for its surveys of the euro area, and also works closely with the World Bank on its trade series. (For the full CPB report click on: here ) (Reporting by Jonathan Lynn; Editing by Catherine Evans)