Data selected and prepared by Journal of Commerce Research Editor Marsha Salisbury. She can be contacted at MSalisbury@joc.com.

U.S. CONTAINER TRADE WITH CHILE

11,000

■ Monthly TEU volumes, January-December 2007 vs. 2008.

U.S. containerized trade with Chile totaled more than 295,000 TEUs in 2008, a 0.3 percent increase over 2007. Exports tallied nearly 118,500 TEUs in 2008 and increased 13. 8 percent over 2007.

EXPORTS

CONTAINER RATE BENCHMARK

■ This rate benchmark is based on Drewry Shipping Consultants’ research and derived from NVOs shipping Hong Kong to Los Angeles. The rate is in dollars and based on a full 40-foot containerload, excluding terminal-handling charges in Hong Kong.

After breaking the $1,000 mark on May 11 at $986, the freight rate tumbled to a record $900 on June 29. That’s $591 below the Jan. 1 rate and just 44 percent of the $2,043 rate of a year ago.

2007 2008

10,000

9,000

8,000

7,000

6,000 Jan.

June

Rate per 40-foot box Weekly year-over-year percent change

$700 $900 $1,100 $1,300 $1,500 $1,700 $1,900 $2,100

6/29/091/1/096/30/08

6/29/091/1/096/30/08 In decline since Jan 1, the weekly year-over-year record low of minus 55.9 percent was reached on June 29, a 1.6 percent decline from the previous week.

-60% -50%

-40% -30% -20% -10% 0% 10% 20% 30%

Dec.

*Split week, Dec. 29, Jan. 1 **Jan. 26 — Chinese New Year.

Source: Drewry Shipping Consultants London, www.drewry.co.uk, + 44 20 7538 0191

20,000

U.S. imports from Chile totaled nearly 177,000 TEUs in 2008, a decline of 7. 2 percent over 2007. Imports made up 59.9 percent of the 2008 container trade.

IMPORTS

2007 2008

15,000

10,000

5,000

Dec. June Jan.

Source: PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions, a sister company of The Journal of Commerce, www.piers.com

6/26/09 6/5 5/1 4/3 3/6 2/6 1/2 12/5 11/7 10/3 9/5 8/1 7/4 6/27

JOC–ECRI INDUSTRIAL PRICE INDEX*

■ The index reached 83.17 for the week ending June 26, a 2009 high and a level not seen since late October. While still contracting, the IPI growth rate has improved dramatically since plummeting more than 69 percent in mid-December, and it is now near at height not seen since September. The Journal of Commerce-Economic Cycle Research Institute Industrial Price Index is a leading indicator of inflation rates. The index is based on prices of a broad assortment of raw materials used in industrial production. The IPI growth rate compares the latest week’s index with the IPI’s average over the past year. JoC-ECRI IPI is based on the work of Geoffrey H. Moore and his research staff, who have studied economic and inflation cycles for decades.

IPI IPI Growth Rate

–80% –60% –40%

–20% 0% 20% 40% 0 30 60 90 120 150