Imports at the major retail container ports in the US are expected to grow steadily throughout the summer despite the prospect of heavy tariffs on goods from China, the National Retail Federation said.
Oil at $100 Is a Possibility Next Year, Bank of America Says
Oil prices could rally to $100 a barrel next year, a level not seen since 2014, as supply risks in Venezuela and Iran strain global markets, according to Bank of America Corp.
U.S. Consumer Prices Rise Less Than Forecast as Autos Drop
U.S. consumer prices rose by less than forecast in April as costs for automobiles and airfares declined, reducing chances that inflation will run significantly above the Federal Reserve’s target in coming months. The consumer-price index advanced 0.2 percent from the prior month after a March decline of 0.1 percent, a Labor Department report showed Thursday, […]
Economists Think the Next U.S. Recession Could Begin in 2020
The economic expansion that began in mid-2009 and already ranks as the second-longest in American history most likely will end in 2020 as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to cool off an overheating economy, according to forecasters surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. (This article requires a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. To […]
New U.S. jobless claims cling near 49-year low of 211,000
The rate of layoffs in the U.S. stuck near a 49-year low in early May, just more proof that an ultratight labor market shows no sign of softening. Initial jobless claims were unchanged at 211,000 in the week ended May 5, the government said Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a 215,000 reading. The […]
China Draws Up a Shopping List of American Goods to Avoid Trade War
China likely will offer to import more U.S. goods during negotiations in Washington next week as the two sides see one of the best ways to avert an all-out trade war is for Beijing to buy American. (This article requires a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. To subscribe, please click on the above link.)
ATRI’s Murray Details Research Efforts on Key Trucking Issues
Among the research projects currently on the front burner at the American Transportation Research Institute is an effort to determine if “we can identify younger drivers with the same characteristics as safe, older drivers,” advised Dan Murray, vice president of ATRI, in his keynote speech at the National Private Truck Council’s annual meeting here on […]
Truck Driver Shortage Spurs Rising Prices, Delayed Deliveries
If you see prices creeping higher for everything from cereal to socks in the next few months, you can probably blame this stark reality: There aren’t enough truck drivers delivering the goods to stores. A severe shortage of truckers is pushing up freight costs and, in turn, nudging up retail prices. And it’s occasionally leading […]
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending April 28, 2018
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 28, 2018, as well as volumes for April 2018. U.S. railroads originated 1,051,026 carloads in April 2018, up 3.3 percent, or 34,020 carloads, from April 2017. U.S. railroads also originated 1,099,000 containers and trailers in April 2018, up 6.8 […]
IANA: Q1 intermodal growth strongest since 2014
Total intermodal volume climbed 7.2 percent in first-quarter 2018 compared to the same period a year ago, marking the strongest gain since second-quarter 2014, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) announced yesterday. Domestic containers in Q1 2018 rose 6.2 percent, international intermodal volume increased 7 percent and trailers soared 14.5 percent, according to IANA’s […]