World trade in March: the calm before the storm?
The container throughput index published by the RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) went up in 2022, rising by 1.6 points to 119.2 points (seasonally adjusted), according to the latest flash estimate.
Throughput in Chinese ports was still strong, soaring significantly from 106 to 131.7 points, but the figures may be distorted because of the Chinese New Year. The index for Europe’s North Range also increased, from 106 (revised) to 110.1 points.
Torsten Schmidt, RWI’s head of economic research, commented: “In March, container throughput recovered only slightly from the sharp decline in the previous month. The weakness felt since the end of last year continues to prevail.” The RWI/ISL index for April 2022 will be published on 30 May 2022. (sh)