The October value remained unchanged from the flash forecast published last month. The current flash forecast was carried out somewhat earlier than usually due to the upcoming holiday season. It hence only includes 40 ports representing roughly 72% of the container handling included in the Index. This could mean that the November value may have to be revised more strongly than normally during its next computation.
The Index is based on data of 73 world container ports covering approximately 60% of worldwide container handling. The ports are continuously monitored by the ISL as part of their market analysis. Because large parts of international merchandise trade are transported by ship, the development of port handling is a good indicator for world trade. As many ports release information about their activities only two weeks after the end of the respective month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable early indicator for the development of international merchandise trade and hence for the activity of the global economy.
The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for December 2013 will be published on January 22th, 2014.