Imports Up Again at Port of Long Beach

Imports at the Port of Long Beach rose in June for the sixth straight month as the nation’s retailers bet that consumer appetites for clothes, appliances and other goods will be undiminished in the coming weeks. Inbound cargo, mostly finished consumer products, increased more than 4% from 194,410 20-foot containers a year earlier to 203,004, according to figures released by the port. June exports also climbed nearly 6%, from 78,962 to 83,305 as economies in Asia continued to improve. The Long Beach figures mirrored similar trends at the neighboring Port of Los Angeles, which last week reported increases in both imports and exports in June. The Port of Los Angeles recently surpassed Long Beach harbor as the busiest port in the U.S.