The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index rose again in May. The seasonally adjusted value increased from 114.4 (revised) to 115.1, thus more than evening out the losses that occurred in April. By and large, the index indicates that international trade was moving sideward during the past months with no clear upward or downward trend. In line with the recent expansion of Chinese foreign trade, it was first and foremost the Asian ports which were driving the May improvement.

The flash forecast for May is based on data from 34 ports representing roughly two thirds of the volume included in the Index. The past months‘ values were revised slightly upwards. On the one hand, some ports having published data since the last issue of the Index exceeded the estimated values. On the other hand, one port had to be replaced due to insufficient data quality. Finally, the seasonally adjusted values change slightly with each extension of the time period for the adjustment algorithm.

The Index is based on data for 72 international ports covering more than 60% of world container handling. These ports are continuously monitored by the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (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 will be published on July 24th.

For further information, please contact:
Prof. Dr. Roland Döhrn (RWI), Tel.: +49 201 81 49-262, email
Sönke Maatsch (ISL), Tel.: +49 421 220 96-32, email
Sabine Weiler (Press Office RWI), Tel.: +49 0201 81 49-213, email

Chart in printable version

Further information about the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is available at www.rwi-essen.de/containerindex.