MEDIA RELEASE PR41952
Top Source Countries Identified for U.S. Containerized Imports
NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
PIERS forecasts moderate growth rate in 2011
U.S. containerized imports showed positive growth year-to-date ending August 2010, according to PIERS, the
Standard in Trade Intelligence. An analysis of the data reveals that the U.S. containerized imports grew 15 percent
year-to-date (10,846,000 TEUs) with China tracking as the lead source country. Yet, while containerized import
growth is expected to continue this year, a slowdown appears to be on the horizon.
Of the 173 countries with import activity in the PIERS database, China ships more containerized imports to the
U.S. than any other country. From January through August, 2010, the U.S. sourced 48 percent of its containerized
imports from China, that is, 5.3 million TEUs, up by 17.8 percent from a year earlier. In August, containerized
imports from China surged by 23.5 percent compared to August 2009.
Other top source countries following at a distant second and third place are South Korea and Japan, at 4 percent
and 3 percent respectively. South Korea, with the highest growth rate year-to-date at 38 percent, shipped 419,000
TEUs, displacing Japan's 372,000 inbound TEUs to the third place. South Korea's rapid ascend was boosted by
unfavorable exchange rates as the Korean Won lost 4 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar, while the
Japanese Yen gained 9 percent in value. "A weak Korean Won combined with a strong Japanese Yen, makes
Korea more attractive to the U.S. as Japan and Korea export similar goods," states Mario Moreno, PIERS
Economist.
Additionally, Moreno, forecasts a strong growth rate for U.S. containerized imports in 2010. "I expect a growth
rate of 15.5 percent in 2010 before slowing down to 4.9 percent in 2011. The decline is attributed to several factors,
notably a sustained, uncomfortably high unemployment rate."
When analyzing the data from a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) perspective, Vietnam, followed by China
and India, have been the fastest growing source countries over a seven year period beginning in 2003. Vietnam
rose swiftly in the rankings at 20%, mostly due to its manufacturing sector. China and India grew 6 percent and 4
percent respectively. Vietnam's rise is attributed to its manufacturing sector, particularly footwear and apparel.
About PIERS: PIERS is the global import and export information service that provides powerful tools and data for
measuring markets, analyzing competition and uncovering opportunities. Launched more than 35 years ago,
PIERS was the first venture in digital global trade intelligence and quickly became the industry standard for
accuracy, reliability and insight. Thousands of subscribers from public and private businesses, trade associations
and governments around the world rely on PIERS to guide their global business strategies. PIERS is a division of
UBM Global Trade, and a sister company of The Journal of Commerce. For more information, visit
or call +1-800-952-3839 (+1-973-776-8660).
About UBM Global Trade - UBM Global Trade is the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business
intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics
industries worldwide. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business
solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, Breakbulk, RailResource, PIERS and an array of international trade
and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of United Business Media Limited, is
headquartered in Newark, NJ, with offices throughout the United States. For more information, explore
SOURCE: PIERS
CONTACT: Susan Kelemen, +1-973-776-7835, skelemen@piers.com
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