While some of the decline was related to the effects of Hurricane Floyd, the fact that all four regions fell suggests that higher mortgage rates are also having a constraining effect.
With the airlines reducing schedules, we've already seen that cascade back on airline manufacturers like Boeing. And that has cascading effects on hundreds, if not thousands, of vendors who supply parts and components to Boeing.
The trade figures are distorted by the effects of foreign re-insurance on the World Trade Center. Nevertheless, international trade is contracting.