Freight costs have risen at a record high amid the pandemic, according to S&P Global Platts calculates that it has risen over the past year 25 to 50 percent. This threatens to turn into inflation as companies raise the cost of their products to offset costs, writes Bloomberg. Freight from China to the West Coast of the United States has risen to its highest level in months, and prices continue to hold at that level. At the same time, it is not excluded, that they will continue to rise. The fact that major U.S. importers traditionally sign contracts in the spring for a year, means that the current higher rates will be built into the cost of products during the year. S&P Global Platts editor George Griffith estimates that the market is not expected to lower rates in the near future. As explained by Bloomberg, their rise is caused by a complex of factors that are not easily to eliminate: a shortage of ships and workers in the trucking industry, increased demand for shipping amid injections into the U.S. economy and overcrowded ports.