US Retail Container Imports Fall 5.1% in April With Declines Set to DeepenA · FULL TRANSLATION
- April retail import volume at major US ports was 2.05 million TEU, down 5.1% monthly and 7.3% yearly
- Soaring fuel surcharges and tariff fears prompt retailers to trim peak-season shipping
- July through September volumes are forecast to keep declining year on year
Container volume is the EKG of global trade, and America's line is weakening. The NRF/Hackett Global Port Tracker shows April retail imports at major US ports fell 5.1% from March to 2.05 million TEU, down 7.3% year on year and worse than forecast. May-June gains are base effects from last year's Liberation Day tariff shock, not recovery; July through September are all projected negative. Two cost drivers: carriers passing surging fuel bills into freight rates, and retailer caution over punitive tariffs trimming peak-season orders early. For Asian exporters, this is a demand warning light - softer US retail ordering means slower momentum for Taiwanese and Japanese consumer and electronics shipments in the second half. Watch July's actual arrivals: if even a low base cannot produce growth, the global trade recession conversation formally begins.
The National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates released their Global Port Tracker on June 8: April import container volume at major US retail ports was 2.05 million TEU, down 5.1% from March and 7.3% year on year, worse than the prior forecast of minus 3.6%. May and June are forecast to rise 9.7% and 14.3% respectively, but mainly on the low base created by the April 2025 Liberation Day tariffs. First-half 2026 volume is projected at 12.6 million TEU, up just 0.6%, with July through September all forecast to decline year on year. Founder Ben Hackett cited carriers passing surging fuel costs into freight rates and retailer concerns over punitive reciprocal tariffs as reasons for trimming peak-season shipments early.