May 15, 2024
Less-Than-Truckload Rates Surge 8.2% Y/Y in Latest PPI Data RedStone Resource May 15, 2024 Inside This EditionTruckload and Rail Intermodal Truckload prices in the April PPI were also elevated in April. The PPI increased by 0.6% month-over-month like the LTL index, but it was still 4.4% lower than it was at this time last year.…
May 1, 2024
Implications for the Global Supply Chain Buried in China’s PMI Report RedStone Resource May 1, 2024 Inside This EditionSentiment Waffling in the Wake of Strong Crosscurrents Consumer sentiment is fluctuating, but just dipped to its lowest level since July of 2022. The index fell in April to 97 points; analysts were looking for a reading…
April 18, 2024
Business Inventories Back In-Line RedStone Resource April 18, 2024 Inside This EditionTransportation Prices Mixed in March In the wake of the Yellow closure last year and tighter controls of inventory, LTL prices were the highest in the group. LTL prices were up 5.2% year-over-year and were 0.5% higher monthly. Again, historically when a major LTL…
April 2, 2024
The cargo ship Dali after it ran into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday. Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images FSK Bridge in Baltimore Impact on Supply Chain RedStone Resource April 2, 2024 Inside This EditionInvestment Firm Expects $100+ Oil by Late Summer JP Morgan analysts are forecasting a surge in…
March 15, 2024
Trucking Prices Inch Up in February RedStone Resource March 15, 2024 Inside This EditionElection Years, Consumer Spending, and Freight Volumes Research conducted by First Trust shows that only 4 times since 1928 has the S&P 500 index fallen in an election year. Unfortunately, two of those years were 2000 and 2008, and it remains fresh…
March 1, 2024
Global Supply Chain to Get Boost from Manufacturing Recovery RedStone Resource March 1, 2024 Inside This EditionStriving for Supply Chain Normalcy With 10 months left in 2024, it appears that 2024 could be a transitional year into what we hope to be “supply chain normalcy”. After a 100-year event in 2020, global supply chain crisis…
February 16, 2024
Three Key Themes Emerging from Q4 Earnings Calls: AI, Supply chain, and Labor Plans RedStone Resource February 16, 2024 Our Commitment to Cutting YOUR Costs Continues We are pleased to announce our partnership with The SALT Group® – the nation’s leading Operating Cost & Expense Reduction resource for Manufacturing and Production companies! Discover how you…
January 31, 2024
GDP Running Hot, Impact on Supply Chain RedStone Resource January 31, 2024 Inside This EditionOil Prices Inch Up on Middle East Challenges At the time of writing, oil prices were inching close to the $80 per barrel mark for WTI and Brent North Sea Crude was above $83 a barrel. Markets were anticipating a possible…
January 17, 2024
Global Supply Chain Congestion Risk Rising Again RedStone Resource January 17, 2024 Our Commitment to Cutting YOUR Costs Continues We are pleased to announce our partnership with The SALT Group® – the nation’s leading operating Cost & Expense Reduction resource for Manufacturing and Production companies! Discover how you can further reduce your monthly spend with…
January 3, 2024
Construction Spending in 2024 and Impact on Trucking RedStone Resource January 3, 2024 Inside This EditionRed Sea Diversions to Continue Through Early January More maritime carriers will continue to block transits through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal because of attacks on commercial ships in the region. Global capacity is expected to be cut…
December 18, 2023
2024 Economic Forecast RedStone Resource December 19, 2023 Inside This EditionSupply Chain Pressures Index Surges in Early December The New York Federal Reserve’s Global Supply Chain Pressures Index has surged since August at a historically fast pace. It is important to note that on a historical basis, the current reading is still showing a “balanced”…
December 1, 2023
Biden Administration Efforts on Supply Chain Resiliency RedStone Resource December 1, 2023 Inside This EditionPresidential Election Years and Business Activity It is a popular belief that Presidential election years are bad for economic activity (and therefore freight activity). There have certainly been some specific years in which there was a significant impact on the market,…
November 15, 2023
Petroleum Prices Still Weak Despite Supply Concerns RedStone Resource November 15, 2023 Inside This EditionGlobal Supply Chain Pressures Index Hits All-Time Low The New York Fed’s GSCPI fell to -1.74 in October, down from -.7 in September. This was the lowest reading in the history of the index dating to 1997. Understanding the index is…
October 18, 2023
Petroleum Price Concerns Mount on Middle East Tensions RedStone Resource October 18, 2023 Inside This EditionGlobal Supply Chain Pressures “Normalizing”? The New York Federal Reserve’s Global Supply Chain Pressures index has inched up in the past several weeks. At this point in time, the index is showing a “normal” relationship and lower than normal global…
October 2, 2023
Low Mississippi River Water Levels Impact Barge Traffic RedStone Resource October 2, 2023 Inside This EditionMaritime Sector Tightening Capacity in October Estimates suggest that a significant enough volume of capacity could be impacted that it could have a ripple effect on more than 20% of the sailings that touch the US east and west coasts.…
September 15, 2023
Small Businesses Owners Say Unlikely to Build Inventories Over Next Six Months RedStone Resource September 15, 2023 Inside This EditionDiesel Prices Quietly Surge to Nearly Third Highest Period in History US diesel prices have moved back up to $4.54 a gallon on a national average basis. Aside from the panic period in the weeks following…
September 1, 2023
Will the Peak Season Show Up Late? RedStone Resource September 1, 2023 Inside This EditionInflation Still Too Hot, but the Trend is Positive The transportation sector and the broader economy are being affected heavily by higher interest rates currently (the highest in 23 years). Tightening credit conditions are also slowing down borrowing by consumers, affecting…
August 18, 2023
Investment and Spending Continue to Surprise with Strong Growth RedStone Resource August 18, 2023 Inside This EditionSupply Chain Stall and Latest on Inventory to Sales Ratios This sluggish supply chain cycle is being driven heavily by inventory overstocks and the latest data on inventory to sales ratios across the economy show that 65% of businesses…
August 1, 2023
What Happens in LTL Now with the Yellow Closure? RedStone Resource August 1, 2023 Inside This EditionCan the Economy Continue to Surprise Higher? The current Q3 GDPNow estimate from the Atlanta Fed is showing growth of 3.5%. This could easily adjust downward throughout the quarter as new economic data is released, and Blue Chip Economist…
July 17, 2023
Amazon Prime Shopping Day Hits Record – But is This a Good Thing? RedStone Resource July 17, 2023 Inside This EditionPeak Season Inbound Estimates The National Retail Federation and Hackett and Associates are predicting that inbound containers from July through November will be down 4.5% from last year’s volumes. The estimate by the NRF shows…
June 30, 2023
Second Quarter Economic Growth Driven by Consumption RedStone Resource June 30, 2023 Inside This EditionInventories Still Elevated in Latest Data Snapshot Current data shows 65.1% of the nation’s product-moving sectors are in an overstock situation relative to the decade prior to the pandemic. Using the inventory-to-sales-ratios for specific sub-sectors in the economy, approximately 11.3% are…
June 15, 2023
Hot Durable Goods Sectors Prop Up Freight Sectors for Big-Ticket Items RedStone Resource June 15, 2023 Inside This EditionGlobal Supply Chain Pressures Index Declines Further in May The New York Federal Reserve and AMEC’s Global Supply Chain Pressures Index hit its lowest reading in the history of the series dating back to before 1998. At…
June 6, 2023
What happens now after the debt ceiling bill is passed? Special Edition RedStone Resource June 6, 2023 At the time of writing this piece, a deal on a debt ceiling increase was “close”. The reported deal would cap spending on most items for two years, increase defense spending by 12% from 2023 to 2025, and…
June 1, 2023
Oil and Diesel Prices Continue to Ease RedStone Resource June 1, 2023 Inside This EditionOil and Diesel Prices Continue to Ease West Texas Intermediate prices have dipped below $70 a barrel (at the time of writing) on weaker global demand outlooks. Oil inventories in the United States were trending in the middle of the 5-year…
May 15, 2023
West Coast Labor Negotiations Reach Tentative Agreement RedStone Resource May 15, 2023 Inside This EditionGlobal Purchasing Activity Still Strong, But Being Driven by Services Demand The global PMI released by S&P Global showed it at 54.2 in April which was a bit higher than 53.4 in March. But still, this is incredibly strong. The problem…
May 8, 2023
Banking Situation and Impact on Supply Chain Management RedStone Resource May 5, 2023 Inside This EditionOil Prices Fall Sharply on Economic Risk, Impact on Transportation Oil prices were falling at the time of writing, falling to $68.16 a barrel (for West Texas Intermediate). This is down 15.1% year-to-date and was 23% lower than last year…
April 17, 2023
Petroleum Prices to Become More Volatile RedStone Resource April 17, 2023 Inside This EditionFederal Reserve Likely to Continue to Hike Rates, Which Could Impact Inventories The Federal Reserve is likely to hike interest rates at least one more time, analysts believe that the Fed will hike 25 basis points more in its next meeting to…
March 31, 2023
Labor Negotiations to Take Center Stage RedStone Resource March 31, 2023 Inside This EditionStill Watching Growth in the Baltic Dry Index for Signs of Global Pickup in Activity By the end of March, the BDI was up 27.7% over the past 30 days but remains 40.5% lower than it was at this time last year.…
March 16, 2023
Why are Freight Rates Remaining Elevated Despite Sluggish Demand? RedStone Resource March 16, 2023 Inside This EditionProducer Price Indexes for Transportation Modes Mixed The truckload producer price index came in down 3.3% month-over-month (M/M) and was down 2.1% year-over-year (Y/Y). One of the stories that continues to be a factor within the PPI series is…
March 1, 2023
Something is Happening: Baltic Dry Index Rebounds Sharply in February RedStone Resource March 1, 2023 Inside This EditionCDL Driver Drug Failures Continue to Rise Among those in prohibited status, 24% never go into the return to duty status and only 38% successfully move out of prohibited status and return to work. Fifty-seven percent of the…
February 16, 2023
Home Builder Sentiment Also Unexpectedly Improves in Early February RedStone Resource February 16, 2023 Inside This EditionCass Freight Indexes Mixed in January The shipments index was down 3.2% between December and January. But it was stronger year-over-year by 4.3%. On a real basis, the shipments index was comparable to the ten year average prior to…
February 1, 2023
Personal Incomes Inch Up – Consumer Demand Remains Steady RedStone Resource February 1, 2023 Inside This EditionIndustrial Production Slips in December, But Remains Higher Year-over-Year When stripping out all but manufacturing, industrial production for manufacturing was down 1.3% M/M and was 0.5% lower year-over-year. Within manufacturing, durable goods were down 1.1% M/M but were 0.8%…
January 18, 2023
Oil Prices Rebound on China Reopening Optimism RedStone Resource January 18, 2023 Inside This EditionUS Dollar Continues to Soften There continues to be much global volatility as different regions of the world deal with different disruptive issues. From the War in Ukraine impacting markets throughout Europe to Covid impacts in China and Fed actions in…
January 6, 2023
2023 Outlook: What to Expect in the Supply Chain RedStone Resource January 4, 2023 Inside This EditionBusiness Investment Still Growing Despite surveys which show an anticipated decrease in business investment and spending, the current national data shows that there is no deceleration yet in total spending. The Census Bureau showed that business investment came in…
December 16, 2022
Twenty Countries with PMIs in Contraction – Good for US Manufacturing? RedStone Resource December 16, 2022 Inside This EditionFederal Reserve Does Not Ease Market Tension The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates by 50 basis points as expected, the Federal Funds Effective Rate is now at 4.28% and is likely to continue to increase until the…
December 12, 2022
Rail Strike Likely Averted, Hurdles Remain RedStone Resource December 2, 2022 Inside This EditionChina Easing Zero Covid Restrictions – Mixed News for the Global Supply Chain The Chinese government has said that it will begin to ease restrictions in its zero-Covid policy. Protests across the country likely weighed heavily on the decision to publicly start…
December 9, 2022
Consumer Spending Continues to Surprise Despite Inflation Headwinds RedStone Resource November 21, 2022 Inside This EditionInflation Remains High Despite Some Softening in October The Consumer Price Index for October came in 7.8% higher year-over-year, this was down from an 8.2% inflation rate in September and this reversal of trend changed sentiment in the stock market.…
November 1, 2022
Q3 GDP Comes in at 2.6%, Higher Than Expected But There is a Catch RedStone Resource November 1, 2022 Inside This EditionGlobal Supply Chain Pressures Index Still High, But Decelerating The current index came in at 1.05 (that is, 1.05 points higher than the historic average). This is well off the peak hit in December…
October 18, 2022
Could US Q3 GDP Surprise to the Upside? RedStone Resource October 19, 2022 Inside This EditionUS Dollar Continues to Build Strength The US dollar index is at its highest levels since 2002. A combination of the US Federal Reserve hiking interest rates and global flight to safety has pushed the dollar higher. The impacts can…
September 30, 2022
Hurricane Ian Could Have Damaged More Than a Million Homes RedStone Resource September 30, 2022 Inside This EditionChina’s Yuan Hits Lowest Levels Against the Dollar Since 2008 Currencies around the world are generally falling against the dollar as the US Federal Reserve hikes interest rates. The Chinese yuan has lost 10.7% against the dollar since…
September 16, 2022
US Consumer Continues to Spend RedStone Resource September 16, 2022 Inside This EditionFalling Maritime Rates as Global Supply Chain Faces Continuing Hurdles Maritime rates around the world continued their deceleration trend as China and Europe both start to face industrial production challenges. The global supply chain situation is getting more complex by the week as…
September 2, 2022
China’s Drought Intensifies, Rekindles Global Supply Chain Uncertainty RedStone Resource September 2, 2022 Inside This EditionCass Freight Shipments Index Shows Mixed Conditions in July The Cass Freight Shipments Index showed some mild deceleration in July, slipping by 1.7% month-over-month. However, it was still trending just slightly higher on a year-over-year basis rising by 0.4% Drug…
August 17, 2022
Global Supply Chain Pressures Index Remains High for Shippers RedStone Resource August 17, 2022 Inside This EditionGlobal Supply Chain Pressures Index Remains High for Shippers The New York Federal Reserve released its latest Global Supply Chain Pressures Index and it came in at 1.84, which is still historically high when compared to data stretching back…
August 3, 2022
Global Maritime Shipping Rates Easing, But Remain Historically High RedStone Resource August 3, 2022 Inside This EditionGlobal Maritime Shipping Rates Easing, But Remain Historically High There are many sources showing a year-over-year chart of containerized shipping rates between Asia and the US and those charts show the rate plummeting. But this, and many metrics across…
July 19, 2022
Cass Freight Index Shows Shipments Remain Steady RedStone Resource July 19, 2022 Inside This EditionChina’s Yuan Hits Lowest Levels Against the Dollar Since 2008 The June Supply Chain Pressures Index produced by the New York Federal Reserve still came in hot for June, despite some slight deceleration from May levels. The reopening of China in…
July 1, 2022
Despite China COVID Lockdowns Earlier, Container Volumes Still Near Record Levels RedStone Resource July 1, 2022 Inside This EditionContainer Freight Rates Dropping, Still Historically Elevated There are many questions about the drop in freight rates to ship containers between key ports around the world. Obviously, economic slowing is partly at play here. But the other…
June 17, 2022
Federal Reserve Hikes Rates 75 Basis Points RedStone Resource June 17, 2022 Inside This EditionInventory to Sales Ratios Remain Balanced The latest data on the inventory to sales ratio for most sectors of the freight economy came in slightly higher than prior, but they remain historically lower. For instance, the national inventory to sales ratio…
June 2, 2022
Manufacturing Remains Stable in May RedStone Resource June 2, 2022 Inside This EditionConsumer Confidence Softens Slightly in May There are several different consumer confidence measures in the industry, but the one from the Conference Board is a good representation of a stable measure that has been reactive to various economic conditions over the years. The…
May 18, 2022
Could Diesel Shortages Be the Next Crisis? RedStone Resource May 18, 2022 Inside This EditionChina Says Could Ease Restrictions in Coming Days Promises have been made in the past by elements of the Chinese Government to start easing COVID restrictions, but there are some real signs that this could be the case. China has moved…
May 5, 2022
Rail Firms Face Pressure as Capacity is Overwhelmed by Demand RedStone Resource May 5, 2022 Inside This EditionRail Firms Face Pressure as Demand Overwhelms Capacity Like all industries, the rail sector is struggling to get workers back on the job after the pandemic. The supply chain and warehousing sector has 1.8 million jobs open in…
April 20, 2022
Texas Eases Cross-Border Manual Inspection Mandates RedStone Resource April 20, 2022 Inside This EditionUS Business Inventories Remain Too Low Across Most Sectors The US inventory-to-sales-ratios (ITSR) were updated recently and most of them remain “too low” compared to historic levels. Total business ITSRs were still sitting at lows that would keep the global supply chain…
April 6, 2022
China’s Manufacturing Sector Slips Back into Contraction RedStone Resource April 6, 2022 Inside This EditionChina’s Manufacturing Sector Slips Back into Contraction China’s manufacturing sector serves as a leading indicator of global economic activity, and it just turned in a poor monthly report on activity. The manufacturing sector PMI came in at 48.1 in March, down…
March 24, 2022
US Reshoring and Nearshoring Trends to Accelerate? RedStone Resource May 24, 2022 Inside This EditionRaw Material Shortages Having Bigger Impact Than Expected Global metal supplies have been falling for months. Metals prices used in manufacturing and construction have surged with nickel leading the way after an investor was forced to meet a margin call, nickel prices…
March 10, 2022
Impact of War in Ukraine on Global Supply Chain RedStone Resource March 10, 2022 Inside This EditionChina’s Manufacturing Sector Jumps Back to Life After nearly 45 days of disruptions from the Lunar New Year and hosting the Olympics, Chinese manufacturing and supply chain activity has restarted. The manufacturing PMI for the country came in at…
February 24, 2022
WTO: Supply Chain Congestion Will Ease Soon RedStone Resource February 24, 2022 Inside This EditionCyber Attacks Increasing in 2022 Many popular news reports point to the Russia/Ukraine conflict as pushing the risk of cyber attacks higher, and that could very well be the case. But since the beginning of the year, cyber security experts say…
March 26, 2024
RedStone Logistics Welcomes Karen Orosco as Chief Operations Officer (COO) Read Time: 3 Minutes Leadership addition will help RedStone maximize new business growth. OLATHE, Kan., March 26, 2024—RedStone Logistics (redstonelogistics.com), a leading supply chain and logistics solutions provider, today announced that Karen Orosco has joined RedStone as its Chief Operations Officer (COO), reporting directly to…
September 11, 2023
RedStone Logistics Named a 2023 Inbound Logistics Top 100 3PL Provider Read Time: 3 Minutes Olathe, Kan., September 12, 2023 – RedStone Logistics (redstonelogistics.com) is thrilled to announce its recognition for the third consecutive year as a Top 100 3PL Provider by Inbound Logistics, a premier logistics industry publication. Annually, the editorial team at…
March 7, 2023
Volunteer travelers ride the escalator down to baggage claim after simulating arrival to the new single terminal at Kansas City International Airport. Above them is Soo Sunny Park’s “Molten Swing,” one of many local pieces of art that decorate the facility. Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3 Flying into the Future: Kansas City’s New Terminal Elevates…
February 6, 2023
Navigating the complex effects of COVID-19 and decreasing birth rates on China’s economy Written by Thomas Letsinger Read Time: 7 Minutes As the US continues its descent into an economic recession, other world powers are seeing similar downturns in their own economies. The Chinese government is facing historic lows in its quarterly and yearly GDP…
January 20, 2023
The House of Representatives holds a vote on speaker of the House on Jan. 3, the first day of the 118th Congress. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Supply chain management in Congress: a review of current and past bills Written by Thomas Letsinger Read Time: 5 Minutes As the new year kicks off,…
September 29, 2022
Everything You Need to Know About Third-Party Logistics Written by Chloe Harris Read Time: 7 Minutes Third-party logistics organizations have been in existence for decades, providing a host of services for organizations in every industry. However, third party logistics is not just for large companies — it’s something that also has many benefits for small…
August 11, 2022
RedStone Logistics Named to Inbound Logistics Top 100 3PL List for 2022 Written by Gregory Reid Read Time: 3 Minutes RedStone Logistics announced today that it has been recognized for the second consecutive year as a Top 100 3PL Provider by Inbound Logistics, a leading logistics industry publication. Each year, Inbound Logistics editors select…
November 11, 2021
RedStone Logistics CEO Leads Session at 2021 NDTA Fall Meeting Written by Chloe Harris Read time: 3 minutes This October, President & CEO of RedStone Logistics Jim Ritchie had the esteemed honor of leading an informative session at the 2021 Annual NDTA Fall Meeting. The event took place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention…
July 22, 2021
RedStone Logistics Named to Inbound Logistics Top 100 3PL List for 2021 Written by Gregory Reid Read Time: 3 Minutes Each year, Inbound Logistics editors select the Top 100 providers by carefully evaluating submitted information, conducting personal interviews and online research, and comparing data to readers’ global supply chain and logistics challenges. RedStone is proud…
April 1, 2021
2020 With RedStone: A Year in Review Written by Chloe Harris Read time: 3 minutes It’s no secret that this past year has been one of the most life-changing periods for many of our lives. This is especially the case for members of the modern-day workforce. For many of us, we went from walking into…
April 6, 2020
Preparing Your Supply Chain for The Bullwhip Effect Written by Emily Ritchie Read time: 3 minutes In just one weekend in 2020, grocery store shelves went bare due to anxiety over the outbreak of COVID-19. The wave of orders for toilet paper, rice, and other essentials is causing suppliers and manufacturers to scramble. Soon, this…
November 19, 2019
Retaining Employees in Today’s Workforce: What You Need to Change Written by Emily Ritchie Read time: 3 minutes Does your company have high employee turnover? Are you struggling to keep your employees at your company? You’re not the only one. On average, people change jobs 11.7 times in their lifetime. To break that down, let’s…
November 1, 2019
Hyperloop Dreams May Become Reality in Missouri Written by Emily Ritchie Read time: 3 minutes Missouri is transporting itself into the future with its plan to build a hyperloop track from Kansas City to St. Louis. This project could elevate Missouri to a mega-region and raise the state’s economy by creating 7,600-17,200 jobs for the…
October 24, 2019
Time Management: Your Path to a Productive Life Written by Emily Ritchie Read time: 3 minutes What is one idea or project that you have been meaning to start? A new workout regime? Maybe even your own business? Then you’ve come to the right place. With this compiled list of hacks, tricks, tips, and methodologies,…
October 8, 2019
Optimizing your Supply Chain Written by Emily Ritchie Read time: 5 minutes The delivery of a product is a company’s last chance to touch base with a customer or to make an impression. The customer will not be impressed with the company if their product is late, damaged, or never arrives. Many great businesses leave…