The most important results:

• The Container Throughput index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) fell to 134.7 in April according to the current flash estimate.

• At the same time, the March value has been revised downwards from 136.7 to 136.1. As a result, the index is now on the decline.

• In particular, cargo handling in Chinese ports declined compared to March.

• The flash estimate for April is based on data from 47 ports, which account for about 77 percent of the throughput shown in the index.

• The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for May 2019 will be published on June 25, 2019.

Commenting on the development of the index, RWI's Chief Economist Roland Döhrn says: "The April figure confirms that trade policy issues increasingly burden global trade."
 

About the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index:

The Index is based on data continuously collected from 83 world container ports by ISL as part of its market monitoring. Together, they account for around 60 per cent of worldwide container handling. 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.

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Contact:

Prof. Dr. Roland Döhrn, Tel.: +49 201 8149-262, E-Mail
Sabine Weiler (Press Office), Tel.: +49 201 8149-213, E-Mail