Driven by the grace period for U.S.-China tariffs, market freight rates have surged rapidly. On May 30, the latest Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) released by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange soared by 30.68%, with significant increases in rates across all major routes.  

However, the U.S.-China tariff grace period is set to end on August 11. If no new agreement on tariffs is reached before then, shipping demand between the two nations could plummet once again. A senior executive from a top-five European container shipping company stated that freight rates for major container routes in June have seen widespread and substantial hikes. However, this is likely a short-term phenomenon, as the current market outlook remains highly uncertain. Overall, shipping companies' performance this year is expected to decline.