Massive Inflation in Shipping Costs. And the Reasons by Wolf Richter • Jan 16, 2021 • 145 Comments Rates for trucking, ocean containers, airfreight, parcels, you name it, the costs for shipping consumer & industrial goods are surging.
Update on the WTF Collapse of Gasoline & Jet Fuel Consumption: The Holiday Period by Wolf Richter • Jan 8, 2021 • 120 Comments Long-term structural issues have long dogged these fuels. Then came the Pandemic.
The Amazon Empire Beefs Up its Logistics Juggernaut by Wolf Richter • Jan 5, 2021 • 101 Comments Wall Street loves conglomerates that are oligopolies or, better, monopolies — companies with a “wide and long-lasting moat,” as Buffett said.
Flying During Christmas Travel Period? Still in Collapse Mode by Wolf Richter • Dec 28, 2020 • 147 Comments But don’t fear for airline shareholders & creditors; they get to benefit from another $15 billion via “Taxpayer Capitalism.”
Railroads Slashed Jobs Again in Nov, to Lowest in Many Decades, Traffic Down 17% since 2006, Stocks Soared to Record High by Wolf Richter • Dec 24, 2020 • 74 Comments Railroads responded to structural challenges by slashing jobs. Did nothing for volume but did everything for their stocks.
Holy-Cow Spikes in China-US Container Freight Rates & US Consumer Spending on Goods Trigger Mad, Possibly Illegal Scramble for Empties. US Farmers Twist in the Wind by Wolf Richter • Dec 20, 2020 • 135 Comments US Federal Maritime Commission investigates container carriers’ “abandonment” of American agricultural industry. Weirdest Economy Ever.
Congress to Pass $17 Billion Bailout of Airline Shareholders & Bondholders, to Top Off Prior Bailout. Industry Applauds, Airline Stocks Jump by Wolf Richter • Dec 15, 2020 • 161 Comments Top 4 airlines burned $45 billion on share buybacks since 2012. If airlines run out of money, Chapter 11 bankruptcy works. Airlines proved it.
US Air Passenger Traffic Skids Again, Delta & American Warn of Declining Bookings by Wolf Richter • Dec 6, 2020 • 138 Comments L-Shaped Recovery for Air Lines. Staking their future on a vaccine.
Here Comes the Trucking Boom in the Weirdest Economy Ever by Wolf Richter • Dec 2, 2020 • 84 Comments Never a dull moment in the land of consumer stimulus and heavy trucks.
All Container Heck Breaks Loose amid Flood of Orders from US Retailers to Supply Stimulus-Stuffed Consumers, Cancelled Sailings by Carriers, and Record Spiking Freight Rates by Wolf Richter • Nov 16, 2020 • 151 Comments While US Farmers Struggle to Find Empty Containers for Exports.
