What’s News in Earnings: How Logistics Operators Are Navigating Trade War Turmoil

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

News, Daily News

4 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bonus Episode for Aug. 1. Logistics companies that deliver the goods you use everyday are grappling with rapid shifts in freight demand due to President Trump’s trade war. Warehouse operator Prologis, trucking giant J.B. Hunt and parcel carrier United Parcel Service are also still dealing with a yearslong slump in freight demand following the pandemic. Elsewhere in the industry, railroad giants Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern plan to merge in a deal that would create the first coast-to-coast rail operator in U.S. history. WSJ reporter Esther Fung discusses what companies are saying in earnings reports and analyst calls. Liz Young hosts this special bonus episode of What's News in Earnings, where we dig into companies’ earnings reports and analyst calls to find out what’s going on under the hood of the American economy.Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Race the rudder, raise the sails, raise the sales!
0:05.0	Captain, an unidentified ship approaching. Over.
0:07.0	Roger that. Wait, is that an enterprise sales solution?
0:13.0	Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors.
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0:21.4	To get £100 off your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com slash lead to claim your credit.
0:26.6	That's LinkedIn.com slash lead. Terms and conditions apply.
0:33.4	Hey listeners, it's Friday, August 1st. I'm Liz Young for the Wall Street Journal.
0:37.8	This is what's news and earnings, our look at the broad themes that stood out in the latest earning season.
0:42.6	Today we're taking a look at the logistics industry.
0:45.2	Those behind-the-scenes companies you may not think much about, but that are responsible for delivering you the goods you use every day.
0:52.0	One of the biggest headlines of this earning season has been the news that two railroad
0:55.6	giants plan to merge in a deal that would create the first coast-to-coast rail operator
0:59.5	in U.S. history.
1:01.1	The deal would tie together the networks of Union Pacific, which operates to the west of the
1:05.5	Mississippi River, and Norfolk Southern, which has lines to the east.
1:09.5	Beyond the railroads, companies such as warehouse operator Prologists,
1:13.2	trucking giant J.B. Hunt, and parcel carrier United Parcel Service have been navigating rapid
1:18.3	shifts in freight demand due to President Trump's trade war.
1:21.6	Importers have rushed in goods to beat tariffs and slowed orders when duties have increased.
1:25.6	At the same time, the logistics sector continues to grapple with a year's long slump in
1:30.0	freight demand following the pandemic.
	...

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