The global financial crisis that began a decade ago has left plenty of economic and political scars. It also has reshaped the way capital flows around the world.
In 2007, almost three times as much money crossed borders than it did in 2016, even as investors chase yields and pump up markets in a world of low interest rates. Banks that once saw rich futures in lending overseas are staying closer to home. And more of the money that does cross borders is in the form of long-term direct investment, ostensibly to build factories or buy stakes in companies in promising markets.
In a world where US President Donald Trump and other economic nationalists are threatening to erect new barriers to trade, debates about globalisation today are dominated by the surge in the trade of goods over the past half-century and its impact on societies. It is that goods trade that most economists cite when they express fear that the march towards greater economic integration might now be in reverse.