RWI/ISL Container Throughput Input Index

Container throughput increases on a broad basis

30.09.2024

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) rose quite sharply in August to a seasonally adjusted 134.4 points compared to the previous month. The strong growth was spread fairly evenly across the regions of the world analysed.

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) rose from 132.2 (revised) to 134.4 points in August
  • The North Range Index, which provides an indication of economic development in the northern eurozone and Germany, rose from 111.7 (revised) to 114.1 points in August compared to the previous monthContainer throughput thus continued its sideways movement, albeit with significant fluctuations.
  • In the Chinese ports, container throughput rose slightly from 146.5 points in the previous month to 149.7 points. 
  • The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for September 2024 will be published on 25 October 2024.

 

Torsten Schmidt

RWI’s head of economic research
The broad-based increase in container throughput gives hope that the disruptions to global trade in recent months are now being overcome. The renewed strong increase in container throughput in Europe also indicates that the weakness is gradually being overcome. However, the gap to global container throughput is still large.

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 78% 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.

RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index: Container throughput increases on a broad basis