DHL on Q2 2026: Americas and Asia are driving growth
The Q2 2026 results for the DHL Hong Kong Air Trade Leading Index (DTI) have been published. This quarterly survey, aims to provide a comprehensive outlook on the air trade market and its underlying trends.
Key highlights of Q2 2026 include:
- The overall Air Trade Index rebounded in Q2 2026, reaching its strongest level since Q4 2024. The recovery was driven by strong gains in the Americas Index—possibly reflecting the temporary easing of U.S. tariff pressures—alongside robust Asian demand and a strong uplift in (re‑)exports.
- Ahead of the EU’s upcoming €3 customs fee on low‑value goods effective 1 July 2026, over 90% of sellers exporting to Europe who intend to manage the impact through pricing adjustments plan to either pass on or share the additional costs with consumers.
- Amid continued U.S. and EU trade policy uncertainties, more than one-third of air traders exporting to Europe and/or the Americas identified Southeast Asia as an alternative market with strong growth potential.
- When expanding internationally, air traders cited complex tariff and customs clearance procedures as well as high logistics and delivery costs as the key challenges. Nevertheless, most maintained a neutral or positive outlook toward overseas expansion.
- In Q2 2026, the Americas and Asia Pacific Index recorded the strongest gains among all markets during the quarter. Europe was the only region that registered a decline, reflecting softer import activity.
- By commodity, Apparel & Clothing Accessories and Electronic Products & Parts outperformed, while Gifts, Toys & Houseware softened following earlier growth.
The DTI analyses the key attributes of business demands based on a survey of more than 600 Hong Kong companies that focus on in- or outbound air trading. An index value above 50 indicates an overall positive outlook, while a reading below 50 represents an overall negative outlook for the surveyed quarter. The further the reading is from 50, the more positive or negative the outlook is.
