7 Companies to Post Big Profit Gains

(TheStreet) -- With the U.S. economy growing for a sixth straight quarter, companies in shipping, railroads, trucking and package delivery are expected by analysts to post big earnings gains this year. Some have already seen spectacular share-price increases. Traffic volume has risen all along the so-called supply chain, despite rising fuel costs, Middle East and African political turmoil and its potential impact on shipping and oil supplies, and the still evolving nuclear crisis in Japan. Container freight volume coming into U.S. ports has jumped 8.5% from the beginning of January through March 23, a pace last seen in pre-recession 2007 when inbound freight boxes reached a record 18.9 million, according to Zepol, a firm that tracks shipping data. "The rebound (in shipping activity) has come much faster than we anticipated," said Paul Rasmussen, the firm's president, in an interview Tuesday. Continue reading the article.