container imports
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Chart of the Week
Freight flow imbalance is the real capacity issue
While shortages are being blamed for the bulk of the capacity shortages in transportation, the balance of the movement of goods has become incredibly lopsided.
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News
Inbound containers staying elevated into 2022, congestion limiting ‘larger gains’
New forecasts from the National Retail Federation call for retail imports to stay high through at least February.
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News
Carriers head west for a modern-day gold rush — of freight
Carriers are rejecting a disproportionate amount of long-haul freight heading east versus west. Does this dramatic imbalance have long-term implications?
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Regulatory Agencies
Amazon, Walmart to advise Washington on ocean freight policy
An FMC advisory committee has been formed amid ongoing shipper complaints of carrier market power abuse.
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News
Retailers’ inventories suggest restocking long way from finished
Recent earnings reports from retailers exhibited improved inventory positions compared to a year ago. However, the comps show merchandise levels are still lagging sales by…
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News
August to be record for retail imports, NRF says
August is likely to see a new monthly record for retail container imports, with 2021 doing the same. However, ongoing supply chain dislocation clouds how…
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News
Retail sales remain strong in May; future freight flows look promising
The headline number for May retail sales was a sequential decline. What may have been lost in the report is that consumers are continuing to…
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News
Modest inventory bump not likely to slow freight’s flow anytime soon
There was a fair amount of “feel-good” talk regarding inventory build during the fiscal first-quarter retail earnings season. But for several chains, the year-over-year comparisons…
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News
Freight continues to flow in, capacity does not
Freight shipments continue to break records with little signs of slowing. The year-over-year comparisons get tougher in the back half of 2021 but the current…
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Maritime
West Coast port crisis caught in infrastructure debate
Container rates doubling from a year ago is a lesson for port investment, according to Port of Long Beach’s Mario Cordero.
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