Countries are increasingly opening trade investigations against each other as the global recession drags on in a trend suggesting there might be a surge in protectionist measures next year, according to a report released today.

The second quarter of this year saw a 12 per cent rise in "trade remedy" investigations against the same period in 2008, according to research by Chad Bown, an economics professor at Brandeis University and fellow at the Brookings Institution. Such investigations are opened at the request of domestic industries that want new import restrictions to protect their businesses.