US imports keep chugging along, still up double digits vs. pre-COVID

Containerized goods are still flooding into the U.S. at a near-record pace. Port throughput in August came in just under all-time highs. The pileup of waiting ships off East and Gulf Coast ports remains almost as bad as ever.

U.S imports totaled 2,529,042 twenty-foot equivalent units in August, according to Descartes. That’s down 1.8% year on year (y/y), marking the first time since July 2020 that Descartes’ monthly tally has not increased y/y.