No Rebound in US/China Container Traffic

Apollo Chief Economist

It’s been nearly two weeks since the China/US trade deal, but container traffic from China to the US hasn’t shown a strong rebound, see chart below.

This raises the question: Are 30% tariffs on China still too high? Or are US companies simply waiting to see if tariffs will drop further before ramping up shipments?

Container departures from China to the US
Note: Displays the estimated number of container vessels departing China for the United States, focusing on dry cargo ships. Aggregates data using a 15-day moving average to reduce short-term volatility and to provide a clearer view of broader trends in vessel activity. Sources: Bloomberg, Macrobond, Apollo Chief Economist

Download high-res chart


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