Even amidst the news of tariffs (and potentially more tariffs being introduced/in effect), U.S. retailers expressed confidence in continued strong cargo volumes at U.S. ports in the coming months.

According to the latest Global Port Tracker report, issued every month by Hackett Associates and the National Retail Federation, they anticipate a small 0.2% year-over-year increase in February imports. This would be an improvement from the 4.5% decline projected in the January GPT.

Similarly, the February GPT now predicts an 11.1% rise in U.S. imports for March, a slight increase from the previous 10.6% forecast. For April, year-over-year import growth is now expected to be 8.2%, a slight upward revision from the 8% anticipated in January.

However, the May import forecast has been adjusted downward slightly, now predicting a 5.4% year-over-year increase, compared to the earlier estimate of 5.9%.

This data suggests that retailers will keep building their inventory in preparation for spring sales as the summer season draws near. But should be of note that things can change and adjustments may be made to these predictions as we continue along the way.