Tag
#Market Update
Global Freight Market Update, August 2026: Rates, Routes and Risk
Hormuz is still effectively shut, the Cape is carrying Asia-Europe, tariff authority has been rebuilt from scratch and emissions costs are now fully loaded. A shipper's read on the freight market as of 9 August 2026.
Red Sea, Cape Routing and the 2026 Capacity Squeeze
Why a longer route makes ships disappear from the market, how much capacity Cape routing absorbs, and what has to happen before Asia-Europe rates normalise.
Freight Market Update, September 2026: A Sharper Gulf, a Longer Peak
Six weeks ago we covered a Gulf crisis pushing traffic around the Cape and an early peak season expected to fade. Neither read holds up unchanged. The Gulf situation has escalated further, and peak season did not fade, it got a second, larger wave nobody forecast a month ago.
Peak Season 2026 Wasn’t Over When Everyone Said It Was
On 3 August, this publication covered an early 2026 peak season expected to fade by autumn. Six weeks later, the National Retail Federation reversed its own forecast, ports posted their busiest summer on record, and ocean rates climbed instead of easing. Here is what actually happened.
US-China Vessel Port Fees Are Suspended, Not Gone
A fee that was announced at $150 per unit, revised to a completely different structure before it took effect, charged for less than a month, then suspended, is not a settled policy. It expires in seven weeks. Here is exactly where things stand today.
Hormuz and Red Sea Shipping Update, Late September 2026: What Changed Since the 21st
Four days after our September market update, the Gulf picture has moved again: another fatal attack on a merchant ship, a blockade tally, talk of a phased deal, and mixed signals from the Red Sea. Here is what changed as of 25 September 2026 and what to do about it.
Container and Air Freight Market Update, Early October 2026
As of 6 October 2026, spot container rates into the US are at or near their highs while Asia to Europe keeps falling. Here is what moved since the 25 September updates, with each figure tied to its source and date.
Trade Policy and Customs Update for Shippers, October 2026
As of 6 October 2026, the US-China truce has a new date in a Treasury statement, but the Section 301 port fee suspension still ends on 9 November in the only legal instrument that governs it. This update separates what officials have published from what has only been reported.
IMO Net-Zero Framework in October 2026: What Shippers Should Know
As of 13 October 2026 the IMO Net-Zero Framework is still a draft, with a resumed session pencilled in for 4 December 2026. Here is what is decided, what is not, and how a global fuel standard and carbon price would reach freight invoices.
Freight and Trade Update, Mid-October 2026: Rates Ease, CBP Targets Low-Value Entries
Between 6 and 13 October 2026, container spot rates eased after Golden Week, CBP proposed tighter rules for entries of $2,500 or less, USTR kept the China Section 301 tariffs in place, and attacks on ships around Hormuz intensified. The US port fee suspension still ends on 9 November.
Container and Air Freight Market Update, Late October 2026
As of 27 October 2026, container spot rates have turned up on Asia-Europe while the transpacific sits near its 2026 high, blank sailings are rising, and air cargo has bounced back from Golden Week. This update covers what changed between 13 and 27 October, with each figure tied to its source.
Trade Policy and Customs Update, Late October 2026: Port Fee Pause, Postal Dates and Canada Duties
Between 13 and 27 October 2026 USTR proposed extending the China-linked port fee pause to 9 January 2027, CBP moved a postal entry date to 20 January 2027, and a White House proclamation changed Canada duty lists from 30 October. This update separates what is final from what is only proposed.