Ahead of the Bell: Trucking demandAnalyst expects US import volumes to remain strong through holidays despite a slight slowdownCompanies:On Wednesday September 29, 2010, 8:49 am NEW YORK (AP) -- A Deutsche Bank analyst said he expects U.S. import volumes to remain strong through the critical holiday season despite a slight slowdown in year over year growth. The American Trucking Associations on Tuesday reported that its seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index rose 2.9 percent in August compared with a year earlier, but slipped 2.7 percent from July. That was the largest month-to-month decrease since March 2009. Trucking demand is a key indicator of U.S. economic health because it shows how many goods are moving and if consumers are buying. But despite a dip in trucking demand between July and August, analyst Justin Yagerman noted that port volume in California, where a bulk of Asian imports enter, jumped 23.9 percent in August from a year earlier and 6.5 percent from the prior month. Because shipments to California ports are strong, Yagerman thinks trucking demand will remain stable for the rest of the year. But he warns that investors should be careful on buying trucking stocks because so much in the industry is still uncertain. The American Trucking Associations calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its members, which include FedEx Corp., YRC Worldwide Inc., Werner Enterprises Inc. and Ryder Systems Inc. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...ing-apf-3589151043.html?x=0&.v=1
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