Supply Chain Research

U.S. merchandise imports climbed 5% in December, based on provisional data. Most of this growth came from seaborne imports, Panjiva data shows, with shipments climbing 10% and led by California ports. Airfreight also continued to grow, with a 7% growth from the six earliest reporting airports. Taken together the Panjiva Combined Cargo Index for December climbed 8% on a year earlier, compared to 6% growth in November. While the acceleration may be due to temporary factors such as the early lunar new year, Hanjin Shipping’s bankruptcy and late re-stocking by retailers it nonetheless faces ...