Judah Levine's Freightos weekly update, published via Container News on 24 September 2026, describes a split east-west container market into the China holiday window. Transpacific rates remain near year highs on resilient demand, a last push before Golden Week, Far East congestion, and blanked sailings. Asia-Europe rates continue to cool from July peaks as volumes ease and more capacity returns via Red Sea and Suez routings.
Lane prints in the update: Far East to US West Coast up about 4% to more than $8,100 per FEU; Far East to US East Coast about level near $9,600 per FEU. Asia to Northern Europe down about 15% week on week to $3,700 per FEU (still roughly $1,000 above late-May levels after a July peak near $6,000). Asia to Mediterranean down about 7% to $3,900 per FEU, back near May levels after a July peak above $7,000. Freightos notes FBX pandemic peaks were far higher (West Coast above $20,000/FEU in September 2021 when premiums were required), so current stress is serious but not COVID-era extreme.
Air cargo diverged by lane. China to Northern Europe fell 18% to about $4.30/kg (back to mid-August levels) as e-commerce volumes softened. China to US held near $6.50/kg, with daily prices earlier in the week trending up. The same note flags possible indefinite German port strike voting as early as October and low Rhine water as northern Europe capacity constraints that can keep Asia-North Europe tighter than the Mediterranean lane even while both ocean prints fall.
Separately, the update recounts trade-talk context around the Trump-Xi week (truce mechanics and a paused Section 301 excess-capacity recommendation). For day-to-day booking, the actionable signal remains the rate split: lock Transpacific named sailings through the Sep 28-30 working days, and treat Europe/Med softness as real but not a guarantee of easy space after holiday blanks and European port risk.