Supply Chain Research

Global trade volumes rose 1.2% year over year in March according to CPB World Monitor data, driven by a 2.0% increase in exports. That’s likely to prove to be a fleeting improvement given it was principally down to a one-off surge in exports from China. Preliminary data for April indicates there’s been a marked turnaround with 13 of the 16 countries that have reported data having shown lower exports. That includes a 2.3% year over year drop from China, while maritime exports from the U.S. fell 3.6%.