News
Imports at U.S. major retail container ports should see steady increases through the summer and into the fall, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.53 million TEUs in March, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was up 6.8 percent from February, when many Asian factories closed for Lunar New Year, and up 15.8 percent from unusually low numbers the same month a year ago, when Lunar New Year came a week later than this year.
April was estimated at 1.56 million TEUs, up 8.3 percent from the same time last year. May is forecast at 1.66 million TEUs, up 2.6 percent from last year; June at 1.62 million TEUs, up 3.3 percent; July at 1.68 million TEUs, up 3.1 percent; August at 1.74 million TEUs, up 1.6 percent, and September at 1.65 million TEUs, up 3.6 percent.
The first half of 2017 is expected to total 9.5 million TEUs, up 5.6 percent from the first half of 2016.
NRF has forecast that 2017 retail sales, excluding automobiles, gasoline and restaurants, will increase between 3.7 and 4.2 percent over 2016, driven by job and income growth coupled with low debt.
