World trade remaining stable
The container throughput index compiled by the German research body, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI - Leibniz), and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), stagnated in October 2016. There has been no significant change since rising to 119.5 in September 2016, from 118.8 (revised) in August.
This index stagnation emphasises the current low dynamics of world trade. Figures still remain beneath the 2014 levels.
The index is based on data from 81 world container ports that are continuously monitored by the ISL as part of its general market analysis that covers about 60% of worldwide container handling.
Given that most of the international merchandise is transported by ship, the volume of container handling activities provides reliable indicators about the state of world trade.