Topic: Global Trade

Shipments and the number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S. are both down 8 percent from August to September.

FedEx subsidiary FedEx Trade Networks, the company’s global trade arm said this week it has added three new freight forwarding offices.

In its fourth quarter earnings report, Fedex explained its 6 percent y-t-d improvement on strong yield improvement in all transportation segments, as well as volume growth of ground and international express shipments.

Coming off of a 4 percent gain in United States-bound waterborne shipments from January to February, shipments from March to April saw a 7 percent bump with 959,364 shipments, said Panjiva. And the number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S.—at 139,337 was up 6 percent.

FedEx subsidiary FedEx Trade Networks, the company's global trade arm, said this week that it is continuing its global expansion efforts with the opening of five new offices in its Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.

California exporters recorded their 16th consecutive month of healthy year-over-year gains in February with shipments totaling $11.76 billion, a 13.4 percent increase over the same month last year, according to an analysis by Beacon Economics of foreign trade data released recently by the U.S. Commerce Department.

POLB imports, which are primarily comprised of consumer goods, hit 191,211 (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) in March, which was down 7.5 percent annually.

Although California exports continue to surge, the news is not all good, say economists. In the case of the latest figures, foreign buyers were banking on continued weakness in the U.S. dollar by snapping up a wide range of relatively inexpensive American products from soybeans to aircraft.

While U.S. federal government lawmakers continue to focus on the nation’s budgetary woes, The American Association of Port Authorities is convening a special meeting in San Francisco to examine financial challenges of its own.

California exporters recorded their 16th consecutive month of healthy year-over-year gains in February with shipments totaling $11.76 billion, a 13.4 percent increase over the same month last year

A 10.2 cent weekly hike brings the current price to $4.078 per gallon, following a 4.4 cent increase last week and a 2.5 cent gain the week before. Diesel prices have been up 18 of the last 19 weeks. And on an annual basis, the price per gallon for diesel is up $1.009 per gallon.

Evergreen Line, COSCO Container Lines, Pacific International Lines, and Wan Hai Lines will jointly launch a new service linking the Far East and the West Coast of South America

As this nation struggles back from the Great Recession, one must wonder what really is behind Big Labor’s agenda. It certainly can't be job creation.

Company officials said the new 104,000 square-foot location, with more than 85,000 square-feet for distribution, provides shippers with expanded service offerings, including freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and distribution services.

One must wonder why The European Commission would welcome last week’s World Trade Organization’s final case ruling on subsidies, as it clearly favors Boeing over Airbus. Still, a proud face was put up by the EU members, who maintain that Boeing has received subsidies in the past and continues to receive them today.

While shippers say they’re taking a more calculated approach to vendor and product selection, our survey finds that there will be an increase in overall supply chain software spending over the next 18 months.

Various transportation interests met on Capitol Hill this week for a two-day hearing hosted by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, which focused on pending surface transportation reauthorization.

It is unfortunate indeed, that a populist movement seems necessary now to advance a trade agenda that should be led by the Obama Administration.

FedEx Express launched a new dedicated 777F route connecting FedEx World Hub in Memphis, Tennessee to South Korea with four nonstop flights a week. And UPS launched four direct flights from Hong Kong to Europe this week, which, it said, enables the company to offer the widest next-day delivery package for packages and heavy freight to Europe from Hong Kong.

The International Air Transport Association today announced scheduled international traffic for February 2011 showing increases of 2.3 percent for cargo demand compared to February 2010.