Dow reported its earnings today with some very encouraging news for the rest of the economy. While the company earned 43 cents per share compared to Wall Street projections of 30 cents per share, it was the plastics division that shined in the first quarter of 2010 according to the Associated Press. This is important news for any company involved in international trade, as plastics are a leading indicator because of a number of factors.

Plastics products, like those that increased Dow's plastics division revenue by 49% over last year, are used to package everything from pallets of consumer electronics for shipping to prepackaged food. The growth of this industry shows that both consumers and businesses are ready to spend. For importers and the companies that service them, plastics are a component in nearly every product move they make, no matter which industry they come from.

Below is a trend of plastics imports to the United States using HTS Code data from TradeView and a weekly shipment trend based on the Plastics and Rubber Market Basket that Zepol developed with Logistics Today: