The Services PMI came in at 55.3 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), down 0.6% compared to May, following a 1.2% decrease, from April to May. The Services PMI showed growth, at a slower rate, for the 25th consecutive month, with services sector growth now remaining intact for 147 of the last 149 months through June, said ISM. jberman@peerlessmedia.com

Even though the current contract has expired, the ILWU and PMA said on July 1 that negotiations on a new deal will continue to move forward. jberman@peerlessmedia.com

Following a month that fell to its lowest level on record, the most recent edition of the Shippers Conditions Index (SCI), for the month of April (the most recent month for which data is available), which was issued by freight transportation consultancy FTR, jumped to its best reading going back to September 2020. jberman@peerlessmedia.com

Anyone who thinks he or she has an accurate feel for what the peak shipping season will look like between now until around Halloween clearly has not been paying attention to the wacky ups-and-downs of the past two years. First came the economic shutdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Then came an overheated economic rebound that taxed the limits of production of items ranging from toilet paper to computer semiconductor chips. Now the nation faces at least a one-in-three chance of an economic recession, according to the best guessers of such things. jberman@peerlessmedia.com

Air cargo markets still in flux. jberman@peerlessmedia.com

Railroad and intermodal aim to get back on track. jberman@peerlessmedia.com

Third Party Logistics (3PLs) march onward. jberman@peerlessmedia.com

Ocean shipping continues its rough passage jberman@peerlessmedia.com