As tariffs loom, front-loading will be the key trend for US container trade
Shippers are likely to front-load imports but the full extent of the changes depends on willingness to follow-through on tariff threats, writes Daniel Richards, Associate Director, MSI
US container trade trends were in rude health in 2024, and the start of the second Trump administration will inherit a relatively favourable backdrop in terms of spending growth and inventory levels relative to sales, but it is likely that volume trends moving forwards are going to become increasingly driven by reactions to Trump’s actions on tariffs. Our headline takeaway is that tariff anticipation, in combination with the prospect of a further East Coast labour strike in January, is likely to extend a healthy period of US TEU import volumes further into the first half of 2025.