by Calculated Risk June 17, 2024, 10:57 AM
Container traffic gives information about the volume of goods being imported and exported. It usually Trade reporting tips That’s because LA-area ports handle roughly 40 percent of the nation’s container port traffic.
The graph below shows the inbound and outbound traffic at the following ports: Los Angeles and Long sandy beach TEU (Twenty-foot equivalent unit or 20-foot long cargo container).
To remove the strong seasonal component of inbound traffic, the first graph shows 12-month averages.
Click on the graph to enlarge the image.
Looking at a rolling 12-month period, inbound traffic in May was down 0.4% compared to the rolling 12-month period ending in April. Outbound traffic was down 0.1% compared to the rolling 12-month period ending in the previous month.
Imports typically peak between July and October as retailers import goods for the Christmas holidays, then decline sharply around the Lunar New Year period before bottoming out in the winter.
Imports in May were down 5% year-on-year, while exports were down 1% year-on-year.
Overall, port traffic appears to be returning to pre-pandemic patterns.
