Freight Index Increases 2.8 Percent in November

The Cass Freight Index for shipments expanded 2.8 percent in November from the month before as the key measure of domestic shipping demand recovered from a brief downturn.

The month-to-month increase followed a 5.2 percent drop in October that marked the second sequential decline in four months amid other signs of a wavering economic recovery.

By The Numbers: Cass Freight Index.

The shipments index remained below its 2010 high set in September but it signaled the recovery still had momentum late into the fourth quarter, growing 14.9 percent year-over-year for the second straight month.

The expenditures side of the index also edged upward after slipping the month before, growing 0.7 percent on a month-to-month basis.

A combination of greater demand and higher prices helped push the November expenditures index up 24.6 percent over the same month a year ago.