Consumer spending

The latest data from WarehouseQuote indicates retailers have ho-hum expectations for the holiday season.

Companies expecting a near-term demand recovery might be well served to read Visa’s Q1 earnings call transcript.

Executive Director Mario Cordero says the Port of Long Beach is “ready for a rebound in retail.”

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Driver training schools are seeing an influx of those interested in joining the trucking industry. 

Consulting firm FTR Associates says the freight transportation markets will find support amid a still-growing manufacturing sector, despite perceived softness in the U.S. economy.

Loaded and Rolling: Holiday impact on trucking; CA AB5 law goes into effect; Inflation headwinds batter consumer spending in May

Capacity crunch: Competition for carriers brings rising costs, new opportunities Continued freight demand and limited truckload supply are allowing trucking companies to be selective with which loads to take, causing […]

Dedicated trucking becomes more committed, truck parking capacity crunch, consumer spending sky high

COVID-19 Pandemic drops 2020 household spending on transportation by nearly 14%

On this episode of The Stockout,Mike Baudendistel checks out how some consumer goods companies are using technology to their advantage.

A return to typical consumer spending drives conventional freight market conditions but the process of returning to normal has been anything but conventional.

We have a new winner in the ocean shipping game of “How High Can Rates Go?” — about 15 times higher than before the COVID crisis.

Affirm Holdings, which specializes in “buy now, pay later” solutions, has acquired leading e-commerce returns provider Returnly.

Consumer spending tapered off this week, but the savings rate is so high, Americans have a war chest unlike in any recent period. And, inventories remain depleted across many segments, so the freight industry won’t feel the direct brunt of any shift back to services anytime soon.

The relationship between personal consumption and trucking demand has strengthened even further as companies struggle to maintain inventory. This suggests a very active spring and summer for transportation providers.

Service-based spending categories like airlines, lodging and restaurants all were positively impacted by the stimulus, but the top 5 biggest growth segments came in goods. With the roaring consumer economy, blossoming industrial recovery, white-hot housing market and historically depleted inventories, there’s very little outside of severe inflation that could derail this trucking market.

This is an excerpt from Monday’s (3/29) Point of Sale retail supply chain newsletter sponsored by ArcBest. Yee-HAW, people. The third round of fiscal stimulus is causing an immediate and significant boost to […]

The stimulus is providing a huge boost to Americans, who by and large, still remain unable to spend on big-ticket services like concerts, sporting events or amusement parks. The recent stimulus has created the strongest spending gains in furniture, online electronics and clothing.

We may be seeing signs of a traditional January lull, but at a much higher level than years past. On a rejection-adjusted basis, tender volumes are running up 23% yoy versus 20% last week. Tender rejections continue to decline modestly, but carriers are still rejecting more than 1-in-5 contracted tenders. Stimulus can only carry the freight markets so long. Fortunately, the industrial economy is revving up and retailers have significant restocking ahead.

Despite losing momentum sequentially for the last three months of the year, holiday sales grew 8.3% year-over-year. The surprising data is further evidence of the resilience of the American consumer, and the ability for retailers to influence how and when people shop.

Consumer spending on goods drove the majority of the freight boom in 2020. Will this trend last in 2021?

The Outbound Tender Reject Index has declined substantially since the beginning of the year. This shouldn’t be seen as a sign of a material capacity loosening, rather an effect of the ongoing rebid season pushing contract rates higher.

COVID induced demand for goods and spending in the home. How will spending behavior change when vaccines are widespread? Retail Analyst Andrew Cox believes consumer spending will be “A Tale of Two Halves”. See what he means:

Demand is reducing inventories while sales remain strong, leaving no cushion before sales ramp up as they do in November and December.

The U.S. is experiencing an import surge.

Anthony and Zach discuss the booming freight market and reasons why it will or will not sustain into July as well as the implications for the new insurance bill and […]

Chart of the Week: Outbound Tender Volume Index– USA SONAR: OTVI.USA After experiencing one of the most volatile periods in history over the past two months, freight market volumes have recovered to […]

Anthony and Zach discuss the recent Celadon shutdown and how it lines up with current freight market conditions; a disappointing manufacturing sector; consumers appear to be on another spending spree funded by debt.

Saudi Arabia angry at low oil prices; consumer spend set to increase during holiday season; European wine production battles climate change.

Retail remains a rare source of strength in the economy while manufacturing struggles

GDP growth slowed to a 2.1 percent pace in the second quarter, as strengthening consumer spending was offset by weakness elsewhere

Today on FreightWaves NOW, we give you quick hitters on volumes, the headhaul index, and a look at the latest consumer spending. Something here for carriers, brokers, and shippers.

In this commentary article, Donald Broughton looks at the second part of the economy – the consumer economy – and where we are now in the economic cycle.

Growth in the U.S. economy improved 3.2 percent during the first quarter, but details related to freight demand suggest a weaker environment to start the year.

Donald Broughton, FreightWaves’ chief market strategist, explains the problems he has with surveys based on ‘sentiment’ – except for the Institute for Supply Management survey. Read why he believes in its results.

Retail sales rebounded in March, rising by the largest amount in over a year. Growth was brod-based during the month, with most areas in the sector seeing rising sales.

Growth in the US economy slowed slightly in the third quarter of the year, but remains strong headed into the end of 2018 and consumers and inventory building carried the load.

Retail activity eked out a meager gain for the second consecutive month, as a sharp decline in spending at restaurants weighed down the headline numbers. Retail conditions remain generally solid, however, as the sector looks poised for healthy growth to round out the year.

A pair of releases this morning show that retail spending and manufacturing output continued to advance in July, signaling that some key components of freight demand remain on solid footing in the 3rd quarter.

Growth in the US economy improved considerably in the second quarter of the year, as a rebound in consumer spending helped drive the strongest quarter of growth in nearly four years.

U.S. Xpress goes public; retail sales numbers explode for May; BNSF seeks positive train control delay; Brussels airport goes to blockchain for air cargo management; American LNG exports expected to benefit the entire economy.

Retail activity improved again in April, helping to reinforce the idea of stronger consumer spending in the 2nd quarter. This should help sustain freight demand as retailers look for inventory replenishment and last mile residential delivery services

TMW CEO Wangler dies; a complete guide to Tesla’s borrowing & spending; inflation, consumer spending rise; the UAE’s Hyperloop; lost trucker wanders through Oregon forest for 4 days, lives to tell the tale.

Economic growth slowed down in the 1st quarter, as payback from post-hurricane surges and poor weather derailed activity in some sectors of the economy.

FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) took a tumble in August, the firm said, dropping to a negative 6.7 reading. Most of the decline was due to the short-term fuel cost increases because of disruptions due to Hurricane Harvey.

The first unofficial pictures of Waymo’s self-driving truck have emerged, creating a stir among the companies racing to become the first to make a production autonomous truck available.