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Ocean Freight

14 briefings, newest first.

  1. Voters Cut the Oil Price. Tariffs Stayed Put.

    Brent fell 8.6% to $94.66 after the midterms, but diesel was still $6.292, ISM prices read 75.2, contract truckload rates hit a 52-week high and 178 China exclusions expire November 9.

  2. Growth Came Back, and Carriers Sent the Invoice

    GDP grew 3.4% and the Fed held with two dissents for a hike, while C.H. Robinson's truckload prices rose 31.5%, diesel climbed to $6.352 and Asia–U.S. East Coast rates jumped 9% to $10,565.

  3. The Tariff Bill Is Shrinking. The Commodity Bill Isn't.

    The Graham Act's 100% tariffs are waived and IEEPA refunds lift Hasbro and RTX, but P&G flags a $1.4B commodity hit, diesel rises 9.7¢ to $6.276, and reefer rejections reach 21.44%.

  4. The Inflation Is Stuck in the Middle.

    Producer prices jump 1.3% in September, the most since March 2022, and intermediate goods run 14.1% above a year ago, while CPI hits 3.7% with core at 2.6%, retail sales ex-gas rise just 0.2%, and diesel slips to $6.179.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. The Tariff Clock Slowed Down. The Cost Clock Didn't.

    The China truce slides to January 10, but diesel hits a record $6.529, the Fed hikes to 3.75–4%, and a 57.0 factory PMI shows supplier delays at a four-year high.

  8. Freight Inflation Just Became the Macro Story

    Diesel sets an all-time record near $5.97, truckload spot rates rise across every equipment type, holiday parcel surcharges jump about 25%, and a Fed rate hike looks likely.

  9. The Constraint Moved Off the Balance Sheet and Onto the Map

    Drought throttles the Panama Canal, a typhoon strands 139 ships off Shanghai, a trucking enforcement purge tightens capacity, and a new tariff wall goes up with Canada.

  10. The Inversion Flipped: Transpacific Rates Surge as Truckload Cools

    Ocean rates climb to $4,526 per box with Shanghai–New York up 9%, while truckload spot rates roll over and flatbed posts its steepest drop since 2008.

  11. Peak Season Kicks the Door Down

    Ocean spot rates jump 20–31% in a week, factory activity hits a four-year high, and truckload spot runs its hottest since 2022 as consumer confidence slips.

  12. The SCOTUS Tariff Earthquake Reshapes Trade Policy Overnight

    A 10% Section 122 surcharge replaces the struck-down tariffs, ocean rates slide for a seventh week, and Apple announces its first U.S.-built Mac.

  13. Ocean Freight: The Great Unraveling

    Ocean rates keep falling, Maersk posts a fourth-quarter loss, a return to the Red Sea threatens more overcapacity, and port volumes drop as front-loading runs out.

  14. Ocean Freight Collapse Exposes Structural Weakness

    Container rates fall 10% in a week as Lunar New Year exposes overcapacity, Micron breaks ground on a $100 billion fab, and semiconductor tariffs advance.