CONFIDENCE among air forwarders in March for all trade lanes hit 42.2 below the no-change 50 mark, according to the Stifel Nicolaus index, a reading attributed to a seasonal decline in volumes, reported the UK's Transport Intelligence.
    This new monthly index, conducted by Ti for Stifel Nicolaus, intends to provide an assessment on confidence among air and sea forwarders on key trade lanes. Ti conducted the survey in the first week of March on a worldwide basis.
    Stifel Financial Corp is brokerage and investment banking firm, established in 1890 and based in St Louis, Missouri.
    Ti also reported that over the next six months conditions in the air freight market are expected to improve with the index anticipated to rise to the 58.7 level.
    Air forwarders were least confident on the Europe to Asia trade lane (39.2) and most upbeat on Europe to US routes (46.6).
    Said Stifel Nicolaus director David Ross: "While current international freight trends are soft, we expect a return to global growth around mid-year. This new index should be especially useful in seeing how Europe emerges from its current financial problems as a player in the global supply chain."
    The index is calculated based on responses from a monthly survey, completed by logistics professionals. The survey questions  participants on current volumes year on year and expectations forthe next six months. The total index covers Europe to Asia, Asia to Europe, Europe to the US and the US to Europe.
    An index value of 50 indicates no change in the volumes of companies polled while above 50 indicate higher volumes with below 50 showing lower volumes. For March, there were 414 survey participants, with a minimum of 265 on any trade lane, said Ti.

(source:shipping online)