US and China see economic improvement - while Japan suffers

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Things are looking up in the US. Containerised imports have reached their highest level since the recession, rising 7.9% in the third quarter from a year earlier. This is a good, thorough article looking at the US economy and container market. It’s no doubt connected to news from China too that economic conditions are improving. Meanwhile, over in Japan, they must be regretting that row with China. International exports have fallen 10.3%, with exports to China dropping 14.1% year-on-year in September alone.