The week of October 5–9, 2026

Freight Cooled. Prices Kept Climbing.

Diesel drops 18.3¢ to $6.199 and Asia–Europe ocean slides, but ISM factory prices jump to 77.9, services prices hit 74.0, payrolls add just 29,000, and the Fed minutes point to another hike.

Read the issueJosh Hoffner, 13 min read

This week in numbers

The figures this issue turns on. An orange rule marks a reading that rose.

ISM manufacturing prices index (Sept)
77.9
▲ 6.8 pts from 71.1; PMI 54.5
ISM services prices index (Sept)
74.0
▲ 1.4 pts; highest since July 2022
Retail diesel (DOE weekly)
$6.199/gal
▼ 18.3¢ WoW; second straight drop
September nonfarm payrolls
+29,000
July revised to −10,000; jobless rate 4.2%
Xeneta Far East–N. Europe spot
$3,645/FEU
▼ 2.5% WoW; ▼ 34% since July 1
C.H. Robinson–RXO deal
$5.8B
29% premium; ~$300M in synergies

Recent issues

The Inventory Arrived. The Confidence Left.Wholesale inventories run 6.6% above a year ago as consumer confidence drops to 81.9, Target cuts 2,000 prices, diesel snaps its record streak at $6.382, and a 100% pharma tariff takes effect.

Costs moving faster than your plan?

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