Final Thoughts
October 29, 2025
Written by Greg Wittbecker
The front-end loading of imports ahead of tariff increases effectively borrowed container freight demand from the second half of 2025. We are starting to see that in the data.
Imports through the 10 largest U.S. ports fell 6.6% year over year in September. This is the beginning of a trend that container freight experts say will persist into 2026.
The Midwest premium could slip if Canada reroutes primary back to the US. But the balance in supply would still be coming from other countries, likely the Persian Gulf.
Canada and the EU. Russian sanctions. China talks.
Extended Producer Responsibility laws could advantage aluminum.
The Inola smelter fight now spans state politics and federal policy, while the court case adds new questions over timing and forum.
And there certainly was no shortage of things to talk about. Tariffs, geopolitics, domestic production trends, data center construction, and scrap availability were just some of the topics getting the spotlight.