On September 7th, we completed the data for August in our U.S. Customs trade data tool, TradeIQ. With a 7.28% increase in total shipments, August brought back the trend of increasing import shipments witnessed in the previous six months, excluding July. The 20.08% increase over the previous year also indicates that trade to the U.S. continues to gain strength.

Below is a table showing port regions of the world where shipments originated:

To get a clearer picture of the upward trend discussed above, the graph below details total shipments to the U.S. from all port regions over September 2009 - August 2010. Steady growth is seen from March 2010 onward.

 

The collection methods used by U.S. Customs for AMS data can lead to an overstatement of shipments for some ports, as imports and exports from Prince Rupert and Vancouver are often recorded as imports for the U.S. Moreover, the data includes shipments from empty containers, may overstate totals from transshipments, and may contain other data anomalies as well.

Zepol's U.S. Customs trade data is derived from Bills of Lading entered into the Automated Manifest System. This information represents the number of House manifests entered by importers of waterborne containerized goods. This indicator is the earliest data available for the previous month’s trade activity.

On August 9th, we completed the data for July in our U.S. Customs trade data tool, TradeIQ. With a 0.19% decrease in total shipments during the month, July ends the trend of increasing import shipments witnessed in the previous five months. Though this July's numbers failed to overtake June, we can still see a 15.52% increase over July of the previous year, indicating that 2010 import activity is rebounding from its weak numbers in 2009.

Below is a table showing port regions of the world where shipments originated:

As evidenced in the chart above, shipments from Asia decreased slightly from June, but grew 19.19% over July 2009. A look at July shipments from Asia in previous years shows us that July 2009 shipments marked a significant low time and July 2010 is a return to the strong numbers seen in July 2007 and 2008.

Below is a graph of Asia's historical July shipments, starting with July 2005:

 

The collection methods used by U.S. Customs for AMS data can lead to an overstatement of shipments for some ports, as imports and exports from Prince Rupert and Vancouver are often recorded as imports for the U.S. Moreover, the data includes shipments from empty containers, may overstate totals from transshipments, and may contain other data anomalies as well.

Zepol's U.S. Customs trade data is derived from Bills of Lading entered into the Automated Manifest System. This information represents the number of House manifests entered by importers of waterborne containerized goods. This indicator is the earliest data available for the previous month’s trade activity.

On July 6th, we completed the data for June in our U.S. Customs trade data tool, TradeIQ. June marks the fifth month in a row in which import shipments increased, rising 10.41% over May. June 2010 shipments also rose significantly over the previous year, up 23.21% over June 2009.

Below is a table showing port regions of the world where shipments originated:

In our U.S. Customs Update for May, we discussed how though Asian trade is growing relative to recent months, the region's shipments have yet to return to pre-recession levels. Now that we have the June data needed to complete Quarter 2, we can see that with 1,698,411 shipments, Quarter 2 of 2010 is up 3.33% over the same quarter in 2008, suggesting that Asian trade is closer to pre-recession levels. Quarter 3 data will be even more telling, as this quarter is historically the biggest in terms of shipments to the United States from Asia.

Below is a chart of Asia's quarterly shipments, starting with Quarter 3 of 2007:

 

The collection methods used by U.S. Customs for AMS data can lead to an overstatement of shipments for some ports, as imports and exports from Prince Rupert and Vancouver are often recorded as imports for the U.S. Moreover, the data includes shipments from empty containers, may overstate totals from transshipments, and may contain other data anomalies as well.

Zepol's U.S. Customs trade data is derived from Bills of Lading entered into the Automated Manifest System. This information represents the number of House manifests entered by importers of waterborne containerized goods. This indicator is the earliest data available for the previous month’s trade activity.

On June 16th, a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee took place to discuss a new act that would put additional requirements on foreign manufacturers who import goods regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. This act requires foreign manufacturers to register an agent in at least one state in order for them to accept responsibility for civil and regulatory claims.

The bill is a reaction to several import scandals, including moldy Chinese drywall and tainted Chinese pet food, where it was difficult to sue the companies at the heart of the issues. In effect, it opens up foreign manufacturers to civil and regulatory litigation in the United States. It will likely increase the cost of exporting products to the United States and make it harder for U.S. companies to find qualified suppliers.

This legislation is currently sponsored by 62 members of the House and 15 members of the Senate for a similar bill. While the bill has not yet passed, it could have major consequences for importers and manufacturers. According to many Congress watchers, passage is very likely.

How to use trade data to prepare for passage:

1. Because of the expense of maintaining an agent in the United States, smaller foreign manufacturers could be frozen out of trade. If your company uses primarily smaller manufacturers, you may need to search for new suppliers who are both financially stable and large enough to shoulder the burden of these additional costs. Searching for suppliers of specific goods and developing qualified lists of manufacturing prospects is simple with TradeIQ.


2. If you are an attorney with clients affected by a faulty imported product, finding the actual manufacturer can be difficult. With trade data, you can tie the importer back to the company that exported the goods to the U.S. and identify the parties involved in the transaction. Many of the attorneys who litigated imported goods scandals have done this with Zepol in recent cases.


3. If the imports of a non-registered manufacturer are not seized or blocked by U.S. Customs, there is an opportunity for industries to self police and ensure that all players are on an even playing field. This would require importers of the products to regularly track imports using trade data and report violations to Customs. Often there are rewards for companies that help in these investigations.