L.A.-area port activity picking up for holiday season

Inbound traffic to the Port of L.A. rose 3.4 percent in September compared with a year earlier (the busiest month in more than two years), while the Port of Long Beach edged up 0.7 percent. September and October are typically the busiest months of the year for imports as retailers get ready for the holiday shopping season. Merchants had anticipated a decent but not spectacular year, but the solid increase in retail sales last month could change the outlook. One wild card: Household debt is coming way down. Meanwhile, export activity remains sluggish, with L.A. down 2.6 percent and Long Beach down 2.8 percent. (Journal of Commerce, Business Journal).