RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index: Slight Weakening of World Trade

The Container Throughput Index of RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) has declined again slightly to now 119 after the current flash estimate in December. Container throughput appears to be stabilizing at a high level.

The most important facts in brief:

The container throughput index of RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), seasonally adjusted, declined again slightly in December from (revised) 121.1 to 119.
In particular, throughput declined in the Chinese ports. Container throughput stagnated in the other ports.
The North Range Index, which provides an indication of economic developments in the northern euro zone and Germany, declined only slightly more, from (revised) 115.4 to 112.8. This indicator thus maintained its pre-Corona crisis level.

The RWI/ISL container throughput index for January 2021 will be published on February 26, 2021.Commenting on the development of the container handling index, RWI's head of economic research Torsten Schmidt says: "The renewed tightening of infection control measures seems to have had little impact on global trade so far."

Source: RWI, Photo: Fotolia