Global Supply Chains

November imports, at 2.63 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), decreased 3.2% annually, falling for the third consecutive month, and were down sequentially compared to October’s 2.71 million TEU.

With expedited review underway, businesses brace for possible refunds, new trade measures, and prolonged market volatility.

The firm reported that September imports, at 2.72 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 5.8% annually, down from August’s 2.9 million TEU July’s 3.01 million TEU (which topped the 3 million TEU mark for the first time and came on the heels of a June decline, coupled with importers looking to optimize sourcing following the White House’s reciprocal tariffs related to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on most U.S. trading partners, which went into effect on August 7).

The impetus for this planned action, Trump said, was due to China taking what he described as an extraordinarily aggressive position on trade, in the form of imposing large scale export controls on nearly every product made in China and some not made in China, including rare earth minerals.

Quarterly revenue, at $22.2 billion, increased 3% annually, its highest annual growth rate since the pandemic, and operating income, at $1.30 billion, was up 7%. Earnings per share, at $3.83, beat Wall Street expectations, at $3.61.

While some previous implementation dates for the White House’s reciprocal tariffs placed on goods imported into the United States had seen those dates pushed back, or paused, that was not the case this time around.

The overall outlook remains fluid, in terms of the pace and also significance of trade deals being made up to the August 1 deadline. John Lash, group VP of product strategy for connected supply chain platform services provider e2open, provided LM with his analysis of what shippers may be in store for when the new tariffs formally take effect.