Figures from April are perhaps the most anticipated this year for two reasons. First, the data is well-distanced from the January-February annual disruptions caused by the Lunar New Year celebration which often softens demand during one of the two months, while buoying the other, as shippers send-out goods ahead of factory idling. Though, usually by March, this impact subsides. This year is unique in that we have a second major irregularity factoring into our annual comparison. The west coast port disruptions of 2015 forced shippers to send goods by air that were normally sent by sea, as manufacturers and retailers in the United States scrambled to maintain production, and keep products on the shelf. On 12 March 2015, port workers began to return to the job, and by April, the strike factor should finally begin to disappear from annual comparisons. But will April provide us with hoped for growth?

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