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Insights & Analysis

Historical Freight Market Research

Looking for historical freight market and economic research? Flexport, a global leader in logistics technology, offers original research and expert insights using proprietary and third-party data to help customers, partners and the industry at large understand how disruptions over the past five years, from the Sec. 301 tariffs to Covid, impacted global supply chains and the economy.

Flexport Indicators

OTI 2024-01-08

Flexport Indicator

Ocean Timeliness Indicator (OTI)

Flexport’s Ocean Timeliness Indicator measures the amount of time taken to ship freight from the point at which cargo is ready to leave the exporter to when it is collected from its destination port. The ocean shipping world tends to run along “trade lanes.” The two biggest trade lanes carry goods from Asia to North America and from Asia to Europe. The OTI captures timeliness on each of these.

PCI 10_17 Fig 1

Flexport Indicator

Post-Covid Indicator (PCI)

Flexport’s Post-Covid Indicator measures the balance between U.S. consumers’ spending on goods versus services, now augmented with divides between durable and nondurable goods and between nominal and real (inflation-adjusted) figures. Last Update: December 18, 2023

TAF 12/15 figure 1

Flexport Indicator

Trade Activity Forecast (TAF)

Flexport’s Trade Activity Forecast augments traditional economic techniques for predicting U.S. merchandise imports with Flexport’s proprietary data. Details are provided for six industrial categories with versions available on seasonally adjusted and non-adjusted bases. Last Update: December 16, 2023

Commentary

2023-09-29 Commentary World Trade Indicators

Economic Insights

World Trade Indicators - Spinning Weathervanes

September 29, 2023

2023-09-22 Baneer Image - Energy Prices

Economic Insights

Energy prices - Another Siphon on U.S. Consumer Demand?

September 24, 2023

Commentary Banner Image India

Economic Insights

In Focus - India’s Goods Exports

September 20, 2023

White Papers

Forecasting trade activity is like predicting the weather - long-term trends with rapid short-term changes. A radar truck in the face of an oncoming storm doesn't provide all the answers, but gives you time to react.

Economic Insights

Understanding the Trade Activity Forecast

June 2022

Glasses and flatware in a restaurant

Economic Insights

Understanding the Post-Covid Indicator

March 2022

U.S. Capitol rotunda

Economic Insights

Supply Chain Resiliency, Demand, and Inflation - Senate Testimony

March 2022

Ukraine Conflict

Moscow skyline at sunset

Economic Insights

Tech Stops, Energy Flows - Sanctions Impact on Russian Trade

June 23rd, 2022

Mining dump truck, one of the products potentially subject to new U.S. sanctions on exports to Russia.

Economic Insights

Tools of the Trade - Machinery Export Sanctions Against Russia

May 12th, 2022

Coal carrier vessel loading at a dock in Vladivostock, Russia

Economic Insights

Coal Facing Disruptions - EU Extends Russia Sanctions

April 21st 2022