Key insights
- US container imports decreased by 1.1% YoY in March, with imports from China down 6.7%. While above pre-pandemic levels, the decline suggests potentially softening demand and economic activity. This could translate to slightly bearish sentiment for US equities, particularly for companies reliant on imports and global trade.
By Lisa Baertlein
LOS ANGELES, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. container import volumes fell 1.1% in March from last year, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group said on Thursday.
U.S. seaports last month handled 2,353,611 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), the standard measure for container volume.
While year-to-date import volume trails 2025 by 4.8%, the March volume was 32.3% above pre-pandemic levels from March 2019, reflecting steady demand despite ongoing uncertainty over U.S. tariff policies and the war in Iran, Descartes said.
U.S. containerized imports from China totaled 711,652 TEUs in March 2026, down 6.7% year-over-year. China’s share of total U.S. container imports was 30.2% last month.
Import trends are seen as a measure of the health of the U.S. economy - rising when the economy is strong and falling when the economy is weak.