WHAT’S NEW IN SONAR for August 2026?

Enhanced Ticker Search

We’ve improved ticker search within SONAR Charts to surface more relevant results. Searches for locations such as Chicago or a specific port will now prioritize datasets most closely related to that market or location, making it easier to find the data you need.

Forward Looking Ocean Bookings Index Updates

We corrected an issue within the Ocean Supply/Demand lead days chart that caused the start dates for the 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28-day series to shift.

All lead-day metrics now:

• Use the same starting date
• Display together on the chart by default
• Can still be individually removed from view as needed

The chart has also been renamed the Forward Looking Ocean Bookings Index, with an updated description that more clearly explains the data and how it should be interpreted.

New Retlia Retail Sentiment Data

SONAR and Retlia have partnered to bring Retlia’s “The Register” Retail Sentiment Index directly into the SONAR platform. The monthly indicators provide additional visibility into retail demand, market confidence, inventory behavior, and margin risk, helping users connect changes in the retail environment with potential shifts in freight activity.

The new datasets include:

• RTLREG.USA: “The Register” Retail Sentiment Index
• RTLPOS.USA: Positive Retail Sentiment Index
• RTLNEG.USA: Negative Retail Sentiment Index
• RTLNEU.USA: Neutral Retail Sentiment Index

Retlia’s methodology evaluates recent retail and macroeconomic coverage as positive, negative, or neutral and aggregates those signals into a monthly indicator, providing another early-stage signal for understanding changing retail conditions.