Signs of world trade upturn

The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index increased slightly from a revised 116.5 to 117.0. At the same time, the values of August and September were revised upwards slightly and now points towards an accelerating growth of international merchandise exchange. Compared with the multi-annual average, the gains are still small.
The September value was revised upwards by 0.3 points since last month. The amplitude of the revision was significantly lower than the long-term average of 0.6 points. The current flash forecast for October is based on a sample of 46 ports handling roughly 80% of the traffic represented in the Index.
The Index is based on data of 73 world container ports covering approximately 60% 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.