The L.A. Times reports that, 'Combined, the two ports moved 1.16 million containers in January, up from 1.14 million a year earlier. It was the best showing since the ports handled 1.17 million containers in January 2008.'
The nation’s busiest seaport complex had its best January since the recession because of a weak dollar, stronger Asian economies and a steadier U.S. consumer.
The cargo traffic numbers also showed the increasing importance of exports at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which rank first and second in the U.S. for container cargo, respectively. As recently as 2008, imports outpaced exports by more than 3 to 1. But in January, the ratio had shrunk to a little more than 2 to 1.