East-west trade cargo analysis

摘要

As shown in the table, the growth in GDP in nearly all OECD countries/regions continued to decline in Q2 2007, compared with the same period last year. The message is that consumers in the western world purchased less. However, it seems that buyers of imported containerised goods were not 'on message', because world container trade growth this year is still expected to reach around 9-10. Stock market turmoil since the beginning of Q3 07 - caused by concerns over rising US interest rates introduced to curb inflation - and increasing fuel prices, have since further destabilised the market, compelling many trade analysts to take a less optimistic view of the future. The fundamentals for future trade growth remain in place, only the extent of it is in doubt.