US seaports in January handled 6.8 per cent less container import volume than the year-ago month, when US companies rushed in goods to front-run tariffs. This sent imports soaring to a record high for the month, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group said on Monday.
Investors monitor US container imports because they are a bellwether for economic health, including consumer demand that is the main driver of the domestic economy. They also show the effects of US trade policies that ripple from Main Street to Wall Street.
US container imports totalled 2,318,722 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in January, exceeding the historical average for the month. This likely points to a more normalised trade environment shaped by steady demand rather than frontloading activity, Descartes said.
Imports from China totalled 771,093 TEU last month. This was down 22.7 per cent from January 2025.
China accounted for one-third of total US imports last month.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Matthew Lewis, Baird Maritime)