RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index: Moderate growth of world trade continues

This points towards an ongoing moderate expansion of world trade. The March value was adjusted upwards by a rather large amplitude of 0.8 points as special factors like the Chinese New Year festivities and the dockworker strikes in American ports had an uneven impact on ports in the sample.

The current April flash forecast should be less prone to revisions. It is based on 35 ports handling roughly two thirds of the throughput included in the index.

The index is based on data of 81 world container ports covering approximately 60% of worldwide container handling. The ports are continuously monitored by the ISL as part of their market analysis.

Because large parts of international merchandise trade are transported by ship, the development of port handling is a good indicator for world trade.

As many ports release information about their activities only two weeks after the end of the respective month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable early indicator for the development of international merchandise trade and hence for the activity of the global economy.

The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for June 2015 will be published on 23 June.

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Roland Döhrn, Tel.: +49 (0201) 8149-262
Katharina Brach (Press office RWI), Tel.: +49 (0201) 8149-244

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