RWI/ISL Container Throughput Input Index

Next downtick for container traffic

29.11.2024

According to the latest flash estimate, the Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) decreased slightly in September compared to the previous month to a seasonally adjusted 131.7 points. Container traffic decreased notably in the Chinese ports. The European ports, by contrast, recorded a strong increase. In the other world regions, the trend was pointing slightly upwards.

The essence in a nutshell:

The seasonally adjusted Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) decreased from 132.3 (revised) in September to 131.7 points in October.
The North Range Index, which provides an indication of economic development in the northern eurozone and Germany, increased notably from 111.6 (revised) in September to 113.4 points in October. Despite the decrease, there is still a positive underlying growth trend.
In the Chinese ports, container throughput decreased sharply from 145.5 points (revised) in September to 143.1 points in October.
The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for November 2024 will be published on 19 December 2024.

Torsten Schmidt

RWI’s head of economic research

After the strong increase of containter throughput during the past two years, a slowdown is now emerging. The strong decrease in China indicates that the slowdown of economic activity starts to affect international trade. The European ports, by contrast, continue to recover.

About the RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index

The index takes into account container throughput data continuously collected on an ongoing basis by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor at 92 international ports, representing approximately 64% of global container throughput. The present flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index relies on data representing approximately 65% of the throughput represented in the index. Since international trade is mainly handles by sea, the development of container throughput provides reliable insights into global merchandise trade. As many ports already report their data a fortnight after the end of each month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable early indicator of the international merchandise trade and hence also of global economic activity.

The Container Troughput Index is used by many international bodies such as UNCTAD and is included in the Shipping/Port Data section of the WTO’s Global Trade Data Portal.

Data series for individual ports are available in the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor.