News / Over-inflated retail inventories could contribute to deflating freight markets

© Aleksei Gorodenkov

Freight markets are expected to soften – not least because of high inventory levels. 

According to data from the US Census Bureau, retail inventories are on the rise. In fact, according to Sea-Intelligence, November inventory reached $30.2bn higher than the norm. 

“The upward spike in July-August 2024 is not only very visible, but also the largest upwards deviation we have seen since the financial crisis,” explained Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence. 

“The largest deviation was seen in September, at an excess of 3.1%, ...