Monthly shipment numbers for U.S. imports were down 8% in September compared with August and down 4% year-over-year. A monthly decline is expected in September, which falls after the typical holiday sourcing season. However, due to the holiday season’s late start this year, we were hoping to see higher shipment numbers for September.

Additional Notes:

• In past years there has been a similar monthly decline in shipments from August to September: -3% in 2014, – 6% in 2013, and -4% in 2012.
• Based on past years, we expect to see monthly shipment numbers drop throughout the remainder of this year, reaching a seasonal low early in 2016.
• Year-over-year growth has been fluctuating each month of 2015. Total year-to-date growth vs. last year is down to 1.2% for the period of January to September.