September 28, 2020 – The peak of the peak season is in full swing for international air and ocean freight. For buyers, that means higher costs and delays finding available slots for air and ocean shipments. The Southeast Asia and China export markets are especially hot and could boil into December. Both markets are characterized by extremely high demand and the lack of space in widebody passenger jets, most of which are grounded because the coronavirus has scared people from flying. Trade is strong for several reasons, including companies rebuilding inventory depleted during earlier COVID shutdowns, traditional retail stockpiling for the holidays, huge growth in e-commerce orders and shippers moving out orders ahead of factory shutdowns for the Golden Week holiday in China.