Maersk reported in the third quarter that there were "many dark clouds on the horizon" and expected global demand to fall.

"We are either in a recession, or we will soon be in a recession," Maersk CEO Soren Skou said in an interview on Wednesday.

This is certainly the case in Europe, and the same may be true in the United States.

The energy crisis is more serious this winter, so it is difficult to remain optimistic, which will affect consumer confidence and, in turn, demand.

This follows Maersk's third-quarter results, which said in the report that quarterly earnings before interest and tax rose to $9.48 billion, which was higher than analysts' expectations.Global container demand is expected to fall 2 per cent by 4 per cent this year, compared with a previous forecast of ±1 per cent.

This forecast caused Maersk's share price to plunge nearly 6% on the day.

Maersk wrote in the financial report:

However, it is clear that it is driven by falling demand and easing congestion in the supply chain.Freight rates peaked in the quarter and began to return to normal.As expected for the whole year, maritime profits will decline in the coming periods.

There will be many dark clouds in the future, which will affect the purchasing power of consumers, which in turn will affect global transport and logistics demand.

The company expects the global container market to be "roughly flat to negative" due to macroeconomic headwinds and a "downward tilt" in 2023.

As one of the consequences of supply chain chaos in the early stage of the epidemicThe inventory-to-sales ratio in the United States is at a decades-high level, forcing importers to reduce orders from overseas suppliers.

This caused the spot price of containers to plummet. Even the big shipping companies have cancelled the voyage.

As the global leader in container transportation, Maersk controls about 1/6 container trade worldwide. Skou pointed out in an interview that lower freight rates are "obviously better for the economy and our customers", while mentioning the decline in consumer confidence:

Global trade is going backwards this year.

Of course, durable goods prices are falling-perhaps many people overbought durable goods at the beginning of the epidemic, and then of course we saw the impact of the economic slowdown, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the impact on consumer confidence.