Dropped by $900 in a row!It has just been rising for 7 days and I can’t hold it anymore!US line frei
- Author:Maintenance network
- Source:Maintenance network
- Release Date:2026-07-10
Since July, the US wire market has begun to see new changes.After continuous increases in the past two months, although freight rates are still at a high level, the pace of increase has slowed down significantly.At the same time, the bargaining space in the spot market has begun to expand, and the transaction price of some voyages has been lower than the FAK price announced by the shipping company. The market focus has gradually shifted from "how much more can it rise" to "how long can the high level be maintained?"
International data still hit new highs, but the market has become divided
According to Xeneta official website data, the market began to loosen just after the price increase took effect on July 1.According to JOC citing feedback from a number of large U.S. freight forwarders, spot quotations in some parts of the eastern United States have dropped from approximately US$9,000/FEU to around US$8,100 within a week, a decrease of approximately 10%. The bargaining space in the western US market has expanded, and some transaction prices are hundreds of dollars lower than the shipping company FAK.At the same time, Xeneta data shows that as of July 3, the average spot freight rate in the Far East to West America market is approximately US$6,639/FEU. Although it is still high year-on-year, shipping companies continue to increase shipping capacity. The four-week rolling capacity from the Far East to the West America has risen to approximately 350,000 TEU, setting a new historical record. Market supply is recovering rapidly.
Supply and demand may begin to cool down again
The demand side has also begun to cool down.Previously, in response to tariffs and peak season expectations, U.S. importers arranged a large number of autumn goods shipments in advance, promoting the formation of concentrated rush shipments in June.After entering July, many market institutions have monitored that the pace of new bookings has slowed down, and the market has gradually returned to the normal procurement cycle.The National Retail Federation (NRF) also predicts that from July to August this year, import volumes at major U.S. ports will still be higher than the same period last year, but the growth rate will slow down from previous months, and the pulling effect brought about by concentrated shipments in the early stage is weakening.Compared with changes in demand, the recovery on the supply side is more obvious.The latest data from Sea-Intelligence shows that global liner punctuality continues to improve, and ship turnover efficiency continues to recover; at the same time, shipping companies such as MSC, Maersk, and ONE have recently continued to resume or add new trans-Pacific routes, and effective shipping capacity has been continuously released.Drewry predicts that about 93% of the planned flights on the east-west trunk routes in the next five weeks will be carried out normally, and only about 7% will be empty flights. The proportion of canceled flights has declined compared with before, which also means that the actual supply capacity of the market is increasing.
Industry observation
At present, the U.S. market has not entered a downward cycle, but the signal of a shift from "rapid rise" to "high game" has become increasingly obvious.On the one hand, the traditional peak season in the United States is still supporting the market; on the other hand, the gradual release of demand for rush shipments, the slowdown in booking growth, and the continued investment in new shipping capacity are rebalancing the relationship between supply and demand.In the next few weeks, compared with the round after round of price increase notifications from shipping companies, what is more worthy of attention is whether the actual transaction price continues to weaken, whether the booking volume continues to fall, and the speed at which new shipping capacity is released.If demand does not amplify further and supply continues to increase, U.S. freight rates will most likely enter a high and volatile stage, and the market will officially enter the second half of this round of rush-to-ship conditions.
International data still hit new highs, but the market has become divided
According to Xeneta official website data, the market began to loosen just after the price increase took effect on July 1.According to JOC citing feedback from a number of large U.S. freight forwarders, spot quotations in some parts of the eastern United States have dropped from approximately US$9,000/FEU to around US$8,100 within a week, a decrease of approximately 10%. The bargaining space in the western US market has expanded, and some transaction prices are hundreds of dollars lower than the shipping company FAK.At the same time, Xeneta data shows that as of July 3, the average spot freight rate in the Far East to West America market is approximately US$6,639/FEU. Although it is still high year-on-year, shipping companies continue to increase shipping capacity. The four-week rolling capacity from the Far East to the West America has risen to approximately 350,000 TEU, setting a new historical record. Market supply is recovering rapidly.
Supply and demand may begin to cool down again
The demand side has also begun to cool down.Previously, in response to tariffs and peak season expectations, U.S. importers arranged a large number of autumn goods shipments in advance, promoting the formation of concentrated rush shipments in June.After entering July, many market institutions have monitored that the pace of new bookings has slowed down, and the market has gradually returned to the normal procurement cycle.The National Retail Federation (NRF) also predicts that from July to August this year, import volumes at major U.S. ports will still be higher than the same period last year, but the growth rate will slow down from previous months, and the pulling effect brought about by concentrated shipments in the early stage is weakening.Compared with changes in demand, the recovery on the supply side is more obvious.The latest data from Sea-Intelligence shows that global liner punctuality continues to improve, and ship turnover efficiency continues to recover; at the same time, shipping companies such as MSC, Maersk, and ONE have recently continued to resume or add new trans-Pacific routes, and effective shipping capacity has been continuously released.Drewry predicts that about 93% of the planned flights on the east-west trunk routes in the next five weeks will be carried out normally, and only about 7% will be empty flights. The proportion of canceled flights has declined compared with before, which also means that the actual supply capacity of the market is increasing.
Industry observation
At present, the U.S. market has not entered a downward cycle, but the signal of a shift from "rapid rise" to "high game" has become increasingly obvious.On the one hand, the traditional peak season in the United States is still supporting the market; on the other hand, the gradual release of demand for rush shipments, the slowdown in booking growth, and the continued investment in new shipping capacity are rebalancing the relationship between supply and demand.In the next few weeks, compared with the round after round of price increase notifications from shipping companies, what is more worthy of attention is whether the actual transaction price continues to weaken, whether the booking volume continues to fall, and the speed at which new shipping capacity is released.If demand does not amplify further and supply continues to increase, U.S. freight rates will most likely enter a high and volatile stage, and the market will officially enter the second half of this round of rush-to-ship conditions.