Port of Los Angeles sees sharp import drop as trade uncertainty bites

The Port of Los Angeles, the busiest seaport in the U.S., reported a sharp 11.5% year-on-year decline in imports for November, handling 406,421 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). This decline is attributed to companies front-loading shipments to avoid higher tariffs on various goods. The executive director Gene Seroka stated that the pullback in imports reflects both tariff-driven inventory build-ups and a broader climate of trade uncertainty. Exports also fell by 8.4%, totaling 113,706 TEUs, affected by retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural and manufactured goods. Despite these reductions, total throughput is still expected to exceed 10 million TEUs in 2025, but the uneven trade flows caused by tariff policies are likely to continue well into 2026. Additionally, political and legal risks, such as a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding tariff legality, pose additional challenges for global trade.