12.05.07Forwarders See Substantial Gain in Volumes in 2nd Half

Logistics Confidence Index （LCI） shows freight forwarders expect substantial improvement in volumes in Europe-Asia and Europe-US trades in six months, according to Stifel Nicolas, the subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp.

The index for the Europe to Asia route increased to 44.0 from 40.6 in March, while the Asia to Europe route also indicated a slightly more positive situation with an index value of 48.3 from 47.4 expressed the previous month, the Stifel Nicolas report said.

The index is calculated based on responses from forwarder participants in the survey. For the April survey, there were 331 participants, with a minimum of 183 on any trade lane.

Ocean freight forwarders showed increased optimism for the next six months, expecting more positive indices of 56.8 for the Europe to Asia trade and 66.3 for the Asia to Europe trade, Stifel Nicolas said.