Strong SoCal Port Activity Boosts Trucking, Economy
More goods entering Southern California ports signals optimism about the U.S. economy and the trucking industry, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.
Combined inbound-container volume at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports rose 3.5% in the first four months of 2013 from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg data.
That follows total imports through the sister ports that rose 0.9% last year from 2011. The two facilities make up the largest U.S. port complex.
The activity suggests that an increase of 3% to 5% — consistent with modest consumption growth — is attainable this year, Bloomberg said, citing analysts.
An index of U.S. truck loadings rose 3.9% in April from a year ago, following a 4.2% gain the prior month, Bloomberg reported, citing data from FTR Associates, Bloomington, Ind.
U.S. consumer confidence reached a five-year high in May, the New York-based Conference Board reported Tuesday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new high Tuesday of more than 15,400, the Wall Street Journal reported.
