Freight Flow & Finance

This chart is a bit like an economic MRI, overlaying data from the Cass Freight Indices (Shipments and Expenditures) with the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Full Cap Index.

• Cass Freight Index for Shipments: This metric gives us a read on the volume of goods being shipped across the U.S., a pulse check on consumption and production trends.

• Cass Freight Index for Expenditures: This tracks the costs of shipping said goods. Rising expenses could signal inflation, supply chain issues, or increased demand.

• Wilshire 5000 Index: A broad snapshot of the U.S. stock market, helping to relate real-world commerce with financial market responses.

Potential Interpretations:

• Positive Scenario: When Shipments and Expenditures are on the upswing and the Wilshire 5000 is rising too, it's a good sign. It means goods are being made and moved, people are buying, and the stock market is pleased with the proceedings.

• Negative Scenario: If Expenditures are climbing but Shipments aren't keeping pace, we could be looking at a bottleneck. This means trouble in supply chains, which might ripple out to affect various sectors and, by extension, the stock market.

• Neutral/Cautionary Scenario: If both the Shipments and Expenditures indices remain stagnant or decrease while the Wilshire 5000 Index continues to grow, it might signal a potential disconnect between the financial markets and the underlying real economy. Investors should exercise caution in such circumstances.

In a nutshell, this chart is your early warning radar. It helps you spot the correlations between real-world commercial activity and financial market performance, letting you see underlying trends and potential investment opportunities or risks.