In another sign that the American economy is slowing, February inbound container shipments at the top 10 U.S. ports hit their lowest level since before the pandemic, according to the latest available port data aggregated by Bloomberg. Inbound container shipments are seasonal in nature, and February is ... READ MORE >
port activity
Preparing for a tsunami of imported goods
The recent reopening of China’s factory floors and the easing of its supply chain bottlenecks have prompted discussion about the ability of the U.S. supply chain to absorb what will be a tsunami of imported goods. With the value of the dollar rising, which lowers the cost of imported goods, demand for ... READ MORE >
Global supply chain disruptions accelerate, presenting a challenge to the middle market
Fragile global supply chains are facing another round of port closures, factory shutdowns, production halts and labor shortages as the delta variant spreads. These disruptions will almost certainly delay the return of full production in the global economy until the middle of next year and create ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Port activity continues its record pace as supply chain normalizes
Los Angeles-area seaports continued to process record numbers of shipping containers in June. Combined with the increase in intermodal rail freight, that’s a sign that the North American supply chain is up and running in support of an economic recovery, albeit with room to improve as global supply chain ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: The logistics of a recovery
The Port of Los Angeles continued processing record numbers of shipping containers in April, including empties necessary for maintaining the Asian supply chain. The seaport said it was now processing vessels at a rate of 16 per day as opposed to the 10 per day it processed before this latest surge, ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Unexpected risk and a blocked Suez Canal
Just when we thought everything was gonna be all right – global vaccinations are on the rise along with forecasts for the global economy – a shortage of microchips threatens the automobile industry and a container ship gets stuck in the Suez Canal, threatening the global supply chain. It’s always ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: An impending end to the trade downdraft
Activity at U.S. seaports indicates recovering domestic and international economies at the end of last year. Though tapering off a bit in December, loaded import containers processed grew by an average of 20% in the fourth quarter. And export activity -- which is still worrisome in terms of global ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: West Coast container activity suggests an end-of-year pause in the recovery
Import activity at West Coast ports continues to anticipate robust consumer demand despite rising prices and the first hint of a pause caused by the resurgence in the coronavirus at the end of the year. Seaports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and Seattle/Tacoma handled 22.2% more containers in ... READ MORE >