The word from the Panjiva research team: we saw a healthy bump in global trade activity in April.  Specifically, the number of waterborne shipments coming into the U.S. experienced a 7% month-over-month increase from March to April.

The number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S. was up 6% from March to April.  This compares favorably to last year’s 5%  March-to-April increase but unfavorably to 2009’s 8% March-to-April increase.

Additional notes:

• The percentage of significant manufacturers on the Panjiva Watch List increased slightly from from 18% to 19%.
• The percentage of significant buyers having done business with a Panjiva Watch List supplier in the preceding three months also experienced a slight bump, from 25% to 26%.

Methodological notes:

• Manufacturers that have suffered a 50% or greater decline in volume shipped to American customers in the most recent three month period, versus the same period a year ago, are on the Panjiva Watch List.
• “Significant manufacturers” are companies that have sent 10 or more shipments to American customers within the last year. As of the end of April, there were 93,649 significant manufacturers.
• “Significant buyers” are U.S. companies that have received 10 or more shipments from overseas manufacturers within the last year. As of the end of April, there were 80,821 significant buyers.