Containerized import volumes to the U.S. strengthened in June from an active May, marking what may turn out to be the start of an early peak holiday shipping season, according to port officials and maritime executives.
Outbound flows, meanwhile, probably sagged some in June from May, amid signs of faltering demand here and abroad and the costly economics of moving shipping containers into agricultural regions that are home to the low-value commodities the U.S. exports.