Supply chains across the world are healing up almost as fast as they broke down. But that doesn’t mean the pressure they’re exerting on inflation will disappear as quickly.
Take the cost of shipping containers. Spot rates from Asia to the U.S. West Coast increased more than 15-fold during the pandemic and have since returned to pre-COVID levels as trade between the world’s two largest economies cools from a frenzied pace.
But the relief is uneven. Short-term prices for containers from Europe to the U.S. East Coast are still more than double what they were in late 2019, according to data from Freightos.