Another solid set of numbers out this week from the AAR:
“The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported weekly rail traffic slowed during the Labor Day holiday with U.S. railroads originating 277,530 carloads during the week ending Sept. 11, 2010, up 5.1 percent compared with the same week in 2009, and down 15.5 percent compared to the same week in 2008. The comparison weeks from 2010 and 2009 included the Labor Day holiday while the comparison week from 2008 did not. In order to offer a complete picture of the progress in rail traffic, AAR reports 2010 weekly rail traffic with comparison weeks in both 2009 and 2008.Intermodal traffic totaled 206,850 trailers and containers, up 18.1 percent from the same week in 2009, and down 12.7 percent compared with 2008. Compared with the same week in 2009, container volume increased 20.7 percent and trailer volume rose 4.1 percent. Compared with the same week in 2008, container volume decreased 4.6 percent and trailer volume declined 43 percent.
Fifteen of the 19 carload commodity groups increased from the comparable week in 2009 with metallic ores and farm products excluding grain posting the most significant increases, up 129.9 percent and 38.7 percent respectively. Three carload commodity groups, led by farm products excluding grain, posted an increase over the 2008 comparison week.
Carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 1.2 percent from the same week last year, but down 20.8 percent from 2008. In the West, carload volume was up 7.7 percent from the same week last year and down 11.7 percent from two years ago.
For the first 36 weeks of 2010, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,223,248 carloads, up 7 percent from 2009, but down 12.7 percent from 2008, and 7,701,274 trailers or containers, up 14.5 percent from 2009, but down 4.9 percent from 2008.”
Mr. Roche is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Discipline Funds.Discipline Funds is a low fee financial advisory firm with a focus on helping people be more disciplined with their finances.
He is also the author of Pragmatic Capitalism: What Every Investor Needs to Understand About Money and Finance, Understanding the Modern Monetary System and Understanding Modern Portfolio Construction.
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