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Top 100 Importers and Exporters: Analyzing the Rankings and Second-Half Outlook
July 9, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT
As the calendar turned to June and the prelude to the summer-fall peak shipping season, US importers and exporters again were trying to get ahead of market- and policy-driven price hikes and disruption. Specifically, US importers are again frontloading fall and end-of-year holiday merchandise from Asia as they race to head off rising bunker fuel surcharges, increasing prices from suppliers, and a new round of tariff uncertainty. That surge is spurring spot rates and tightening capacity so much that forwarders are warning customers to book at least three weeks in advance. The increased demand stems in part from uncertainty among shippers about possible further tariff moves by the Trump administration. Shippers also are racing to get ahead of expected price increases from Asian suppliers. The S & P Global Market Intelligence Purchasing Managers’ Index™( PMI ®) released in late May saw readings on price pressures and supply shortages reach highs not seen since 2022 as the war in the Middle East keeps the price of oil and related commodities elevated. All of this adds up to another turbulent time for US importers and exporters. https:// bit. ly / 44shgod
FEATURED CONTENT
Midyear Container Shipping Report: Analyzing the Peak Season
July 16, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT
The intensity of the early trans-Pacific peak season could drain volumes in the second half, or the shipping industry might surprise. US imports from Asia in May jumped almost 20 % year over year to the highest level since last August, according to PIERS. The National Retail Federation( NRF) has upgraded its forecast for June imports, confirming that the peak shipping season has come early this year. But the NRF says that spike is expected to be short-lived, with the group lowering its prior forecast for imports landing through the rest of the summer and into early fall. Last summer, US imports from Asia climbed rapidly in June, peaked in July and then fell just as quickly as they rose. But the current environment is different. Growth last summer was confined to the US, so carriers were able to redeploy vessels from other trade lanes to the trans-Pacific and price spikes lasted only two months. This year, demand is also strong in the Asia-Europe, Asia-Mediterranean and South American trades, and that is limiting the capacity and equipment that can be deployed on the trans-Pacific https:// bit. ly / 4euGl84
RESOURCES
Top 100 US Importers and Exporters https:// bit. ly / 3ZvpUQG
Managing Editor: Kevin Saville, 347.308.3743, kevin. saville2 @ spglobal. com
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Flatbed rates rise as data centers, regulations tighten capacity
After more than two years of excess truck capacity and weak freight demand, flatbed trucking is experiencing meaningful tightening, driven by data center construction and federal regulatory actions that are reducing available capacity. https:// bit. ly / 4w6ulzl
Naeem Akbar / Shutterstock. com
UK faces surge in cheap imports as EU eliminates duty-free access
The UK is being urged to accelerate the removal of its duty-free exemption for low-value imports to avoid a flood of cheap goods shifting from the European Union after Brussels eliminated its de minimis threshold July 1. https:// bit. ly / 4eF79RP
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Journal of Commerce( USPS 279 – 060), ISSN 1530-7557, July 6, 2026, Volume 27, Issue No. 7. Journal of Commerce is published monthly( 12 issues a year) by JOC Group Inc., 55 Water St., 39th Floor, New York, N. Y. 10041. Subscription price: $ 595 a year. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N. Y., and additional mailing offices. © All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be copied or reprinted without written permission from the publisher. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Journal of Commerce, Subscription Services Department, 55 Water St., 39th Floor, New York, N. Y. 10041.
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