The Container Throughput Index of the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI) and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) experienced a significant decline of (revised) 123.9 to 122.7 points in December. Also the value for November was revised downwards by 0.5 points. All in all, the index is now just slightly above the level of mid-year 2014.

At this stage, however, it is still not possible to leave a statement whether the recovery in world trade in the previous months was only an intermediate high or if it is only a temporary decline, e.g. due to this year’s situation of the Christmas holidays. The flash estimate for December is based on data of 38 ports, covering a total of about two-thirds of container throughput shown in the index.

The index is based on data of 75 world container ports covering approximately 60 per cent 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 January 2015 will be published on 19 February.

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Contact:

Prof. Dr. Roland Döhrn, e-mail
Katharina Brach (Press Office RWI), e-mail

Downloads:

• Chart in high resolution
• Data

Further information on the index can be found at www.rwi-essen.de/containerindex.