LA Port Exports Reach 19-Month High in March

LA TIMES -- "The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together make up the nation's busiest shipping container complex, showed gains in cargo traffic for the fourth straight month in March, boosting trade-related employment in Southern California.

In Los Angeles, the largest U.S. port, exports jumped 15.8% compared with March 2009, driven by such items as scrap paper, scrap metal, agricultural products and finished manufactured goods (see chart above). Long Beach's exports also rose strongly, 10.9%, as both ports benefited from the weakness of the U.S. dollar against other major world currencies. The exchange rates made U.S. goods more attractive and affordable overseas."

MP: Outbound (export) containers leaving the LA Port have increased in 10 out of the last 13 months, and reached a 19-month high in March of 161,817 TEUs, almost 55% above the January 2009 bottom (data here), see chart above. March exports were the fourth highest monthly shipping volume in the port history.