03.02.202611:19:52UTC+00US Logistics Growth Accelerates

In January 2026, the Logistics Manager’s Index in the US climbed to 59.6, marking the peak over a seven-month period and an increase from December's figure of 54.2. This uptick indicates an accelerated expansion within the logistics sector, primarily due to a shift towards moderate restocking as the year commenced. Inventory levels improved from a state of contraction, rising significantly by 18.8 points to 53.9. However, it should be noted that this increase is modest compared to typical January trends, where firms engage heavily in restocking. This behavior suggests that companies remain cautious, aligning with their predictions from last year, opting for relatively lean inventories at the year's onset. This caution may be attributed to persisting high costs, with inventory costs seeing a notable rise of 8.4 points to 71.3. Concurrently, warehousing capacity decreased by 11.2 points to 50, while warehousing utilization rebounded from contraction, increasing by 11.6 points to 54.4. The transportation sector remains constricted with a 10.9-point rise to 47.1, which has consequently led to a continued elevation in transportation prices, ascending by 4.8 points to 71.4, the highest increment since April 2022.