Markets

The recent slide in spot rates is typical for this time of year, according to FreightWaves’ CEO, and data indicates another peak before Thanksgiving is possible.

Global sugar prices fall over record production and decreasing demand; oil squeeze looks to be inevitable; Walmart’s size might not help much if prices keep increasing and trucking market remains tight.

A pair of releases this morning show that retail spending and manufacturing output continued to advance in July, signaling that some key components of freight demand remain on solid footing in the 3rd quarter.

Morgan Stanley’s Truckload Freight Index has decreased over the last two weeks and has now underperformed seasonality two updates in a row. This seasonal deceleration is not unusual, as July and August tend to be weaker.

With the recent chatter of a “housing crisis," and the market reaching a "peak cycle," we decided to take a closer look at what's going on.

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure calmed at the start of the 3rd quarter.  Trucking prices continued to climb during the month however, particularly for long distance trucking where rate inflation has pushed to a new record high

Survey data in both the manufacturing and service sectors signal that growth continued at a slightly slower pace at the start of the 3rd quarter. Concerns over tariffs, labor shortages, and freight capacity remain issues in the economy overall, and may have contributed to the moderation in growth.

Job growth fell short of expectations in the economy in July after robust hiring over the past several months. Labor market conditions remain tight, however, as the unemployment rate neared historic lows at the start of the 3rd quarter. Within trucking, hiring continued to improve a solid pace in July despite the moderating job growth in the overall economy.

Schneider National became the latest carrier to announce that it has benefited financially from the strong pricing and capacity squeeze when it announced its second-quarter operating revenues were up 15% year-over-year.

Freight demand remained strong through the end of the 2nd quarter, but growth is likely to normalize through the 3rd quarter as some of the temporary boosts to economic activity fade.

Stifel’s super-team of equities analysts took a hard look at trade war risk for carriers in every mode and various types of logistics service providers. Dry bulk maritime is the most exposed, while air cargo is the least. Railroads and intermodal carriers like JB Hunt and HUB Group also have significant risk.

Tolls once graced Connecticut highways until the mid 1980s, but the state is now looking at bringing them back to increase revenue. The state trucking association says it is the wrong approach.

After setting one record high after another in the early weeks of 2018, the weekly DAT Dry Van and Reefer Barometers have pulled back but remain in a strong growth range.

Oil production faces volatile times, as multiple OPEC countries witness geopolitical problems and unstable governments, leading to the possibility of yet another rise in fuel prices.

Growth in the US economy improved considerably in the second quarter of the year, as a rebound in consumer spending helped drive the strongest quarter of growth in nearly four years.

Fuel remains among the largest costs for both carriers and shippers but based on the current practice of using a fuel surcharge to mitigate volatility in pricing, both parties remain at risk of ending up on the losing end of the deal.

Demand in the economy continues to grow at a solid pace at the start of the 3rd quarter, but a myriad of government survey results suggests that trucking capacity and concerns over tariffs have limited the performance of several sectors.

After setting one record high after another in the early weeks of 2018, the weekly DAT Dry Van and Reefer Barometers have pulled back slightly before stabilizing in a strong growth range.

Tesla stocks fell by about 2.5% today after a Needham analyst raised concerns on the increased cancellations of Model 3 cars over different reasons like long waiting times, unavailability of base model and the expiration of the $7,500 credit.

Volvo’s Q2 had the company’s sales earnings climb past hundred billion Swedish kronor, buoyed by double digit growth figures around the world except Europe, where its market has stabilized and is at the point of saturation.

Recent increases in oil prices have revived some debate over the effect that oil has on the economy and freight markets. While evidence suggests that the recent increase has helped growth, there are some limits to the benefit that the market can gain from higher oil prices.

U.S. retail sales rose solidly in June, boosted by increases in purchases of motor vehicles and a range of other goods, cementing expectations for robust economic growth in the second quarter.

A revenue increase boosted earnings for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ: JBHT), as the carrier reported second-quarter net earnings of $151.7 million, or $1.37 per share, versus second-quarter 2017 net earnings of $97.9 million, or 88 cents per share.

While there is a lot of noise surrounding tariffs and potential trade wars, it probably isn’t enough to derail the economy and the red-hot freight environment.

Trump’s new tariffs are beginning to hit less like strategic targets, and more like an indiscriminate bombing campaign. For all the drama, what’s the end game?

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure continued to heat up in the economy, as gains in service prices helped to push up.  Trucking prices surged again in June, as part of an overall wave of rising transportation costs in the economy.

Job growth continued at an impressive pace in June, beating expectations for the second consecutive month.  Trucking hires also made significant strides during the month, but increased competition from within transportation and other competing industries will remain a challenge going forward.

Survey data in both the manufacturing and service sectors continued to point to strong economic growth at the end of the 2nd quarter. Details in the survey responses continue to suggest that high transportation costs, labor shortages, and tariff uncertainty remain significant issues in the economy.

The Indian trucking ecosystem now witnesses frequent strikes, as different economic reforms and the more recent rise in fuel prices are forcing a lot of carriers to accrue losses.

Freight conditions generally held solid during the month despite some softening in the manufacturing sector. With economic fundamentals largely in place, the focus has shifted to trade policy, where trade war escalations threaten domestic activity.