Tariffs Are Poised to Wreck Christmas for Shipping Companies

  • World container traffic may fall 1% in worst case, Drewry says
  • U.S. is proposing more duties on $200 billion of Chinese goods
Bloomberg’s Kyunghee Park looks at how the trade disputes are affecting the container-shipping industry. (Source: Bloomberg)
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Christmas is looking a little less bright for container-shipping companies.

As the industry enters what’s typically its busiest quarter before the year-end holidays, an escalating trade row between China and the U.S. may lead to higher prices for China-made goods from Christmas lights to cooking stoves. With about 90 percent of global trade carried by sea, that could mean a big dent on shipments.