The numbers are especially big at the Port of Los Angeles, which saw a 21.4 percent increase in August traffic compared with a year earlier. That breaks out to 414,000 containers coming in and 377,000 going out. The Port of Long Beach saw a 9.7 percent increase from a year ago, with 348,000 containers coming in and 105,000 going out. The numbers would seem to allay any concern about a slowdown in imports - and with it a slower holiday shopping season. In years past, September and October have been especially busy months at the ports, but retailers have learned to space out their orders so that there are minimal log jams in the fall. Also today: A small but surprising increase in August retail sales. If gas prices keep dropping - and that's a big if - consumers might bail out the economy once more.