US port exec warns of empty shelves in 5-7 weeks – what it means for Bitcoin price

A sudden contraction in US imports threatens to ripple through consumer markets, potentially impacting Bitcoin’s price action.

Retailers have less than 2 months of stock

Executive Director Gene Seroka flagged a forecasted 35% reduction in container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles, which marks a critical early warning.

As reported in a Bloomberg interview on April 25, Seroka noted that approximately 50,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units will vanish from inbound flows next week as retailers pause orders in response to tariff pressures.

This abrupt disruption follows major shipping lines suspending key trans-Pacific services, further tightening supply chains already bracing for tariff fallout. Seroka flagged the supply-chain impact on supporting industries,

 ”So the trucker hauling four or five containers today, next week she probably hauls two or three.

The dock workers are no longer gonna see overtime and double shifts. They’re gonna probably work less than a traditional work week.”

When questioned whether a trade deal now would limit the shortage, Seroka replied with a timeline of what would happen.

 ”About two weeks to get the ships repositioned around these major ports[…] load up all those containers, and then another two weeks to steam across the Pacific to get to us.

This is important ’cause now we’re talking about spring and summer fashion, so we’re kind of at a crux here that we’ve gotta have something pretty quick.”

Seroka continued,

“Retailers are saying, we’ve got about five to seven weeks of normal inventory in the country right now.

Then we start to see spot shortages if it goes on much beyond this.”

ONE and Yang Ming’s indefinite suspension of the PN4 Asia-U.S. West Coast route removes 12,000-14,000 TEU of weekly capacity. Complementing this, Hapag-Lloyd has listed structural blank sailings for later in the year, signaling a transition from temporary adjustments to long-term retrenchments.

These cuts, alongside front-loaded inventories beginning to erode, suggest the cushion retailers built to weather tariff hikes may soon dissipate.

Current positive data for US imports

However, through March, container throughput remained elevated, with Los Angeles handling 778,406 TEU (+5.2% YoY) and Long Beach recording a record 2.5 million TEU in Q1 (+27.4% YoY).

Further, current data can be construed as positive, for now:

• Supply flows are still robust. Loaded‑import TEU through March is up at LA and Long Beach; the few blank‑sailing notices are concentrated on a single Premier‑Alliance loop (PN4) and a handful of ad‑hoc voyages.

• Capacity cuts are patchy, not systemic. Hapag‑Lloyd, Maersk, COSCO/OOCL, Evergreen, and ZIM have not announced Asia‑U.S. blanks for May; in other words, ~75 % of the weekly slot pool remains untouched.

• Inventories are comfortable. The nationwide 1.35 inventory/sales ratio is almost identical to pre‑holiday 2019 levels, far from the 1.21 lows that preceded 2021’s empty‑shelf episodes.

Yet, the business inventories-to-sales ratio slipping in February hints that buffer stock is declining, raising prospects of visible shelf gaps if import weakness persists into summer.

Front‑loaded inventory masked a tariff‑shock storm that is now hitting shipping schedules. With a whole trans‑Pacific loop offline and LA’s chief harbour‑master warning of a one‑third volume plunge, the six‑week clock to potential retail stock‑outs has started.

Whether consumers feel it depends on how long tariffs stay high, and how many more sailings carriers strike from their charts.

Supply shock impact on Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s relationship with macroeconomic shocks complicates expectations for digital assets during supply-driven inflation scenarios.

At the time of Seroka’s warning, Bitcoin traded near $97,600 after a February retracement linked to hotter-than-expected CPI data. However, Bitcoin has since dropped below $95,000 after a weekend of continued trade war rhetoric.

Research published via SSRN in early 2025 found Bitcoin’s price elasticity relative to global equities remains high, demonstrating tight cointegration with the MSCI World index. Adjustments to equity shocks typically materialize within a year, suggesting that Bitcoin’s behavior is still firmly risk-on.

This context presents competing pressures for Bitcoin. On one side, supply-chain disruptions and tariff-induced shortages could rekindle inflation fears. Traditional narratives tout Bitcoin as a hedge against currency debasement and consumer price volatility, potentially drawing capital seeking shelter from fiat erosion.

However, real-world trading patterns complicate this view.

Bitcoin’s inflation-hedge appeal has proven context-specific. The digital asset’s sporadic alignment with equities implies that in moments of acute growth concern, such as tariff-driven retail slowdowns, it may instead face selling pressure, but it may not.

Monetary policy remains a wildcard. If tariff-related weakness exacerbates economic headwinds, Federal Reserve policymakers could revisit easing earlier than anticipated. Historically, liquidity expansions have supported Bitcoin’s price.

Previous cycles, including the 2019 rate cut sequence, preceded steep crypto rallies. Thus, while immediate supply-chain frictions point toward risk aversion, any dovish pivot could inject bullish momentum.

Also, a decline in the dollar confidence may lead to increased confidence in Bitcoin as a hedge alongside gold. Currently, when US bonds sell off, Bitcoin senses weakness, and investors look for alternatives outside the traditional financial system.

Since early April, the US 10-year note has fallen 2%, while Bitcoin has risen 22%.

As the six-week timeline from container disruption to retail shelves narrows, investors should closely monitor shipping data, CPI releases, and Bitcoin’s correlation with equities.

The next chapter in Bitcoin’s inflation narrative has not yet been written. Still, the collision of supply-chain tension and macro uncertainty will soon test whether it acts as a digital refuge or remains tethered to traditional risk conditions.