Exports were up at the Port of Los Angeles in October for the first time this year, as Chinese consumers led a drive to buy U.S. products and factories stocked up on raw materials. … These glimmers of hope at the nation’s business trade hub for container cargo were echoed up and down the West Coast, where the decline in shipping has slowed considerably. Still more competition is expected in coming years as new shipping routes are developed in Panama, Canada and Mexico. At stake are tens of thousands of trade-related jobs including dock work, warehouse and distribution, executive-level logistics and supply-chain management.
