How Airfreight Rates Are Worsening the US Trade Deficit

Why are airfreight rates surging in 2026 and how does that widen the US trade deficit? Lucas and Luna examine the logistics bottleneck: air cargo accounts for over 30% of US imports by value but the cost per kilo has jumped 25% year-over-year. They trace how higher shipping costs inflate import values, distort trade balance calculations, and hit electronics and pharmaceutical supply chains especially hard. Along the way they discuss the May PPI spike, the dollar index dip below 100, and what the shift from ocean to air freight means for inflation. A focused look at an overlooked component of trade data that affects everything from your prescription drug prices to the latest smartphone shipments. #Airfreight #TradeDeficit #SupplyChain #Logistics #ImportCosts #Electronics #Pharmaceuticals #PPI #DollarIndex #Inflation #OceanFreight #RedSea #TradeData #Economics #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TradeDeficitPodcast #USImports Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo