World trade keeps coming back
According to the current flash estimate, the container throughput index published by the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute for Shipping Economics (ISL) rose slightly in August 2020, seasonally adjusted, from (revised) 115.2 to 116.1, while the recovery of world trade gains further ground.
Whereas throughput in the Chinese ports declined slightly from its all-time high in July, container volumes recorded substantial improvements in ports outside China. The north range index, which provides indications on economic development in northern Europe and in Germany, dropped by 4.0 points.
Since the index for July was revised upwards by 2.2 points when all available data had been processed, the basic trend remains positive.
The current flash estimate for the container throughput index is based on information from 59 ports that handle around 83% of the throughput described in the index. The index for September 2020 will be published on 30 October 2020. (mw)