ZIM has raised its 2026 profit forecast, lifting the midpoint of its adjusted EBIT range 72% from the outlook it gave in August. The Israeli container line now expects adjusted EBIT of $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion, up from $700 million to $1.1 billion.
It expects adjusted EBITDA of $2.7 billion to $3.0 billion, up from $2.0 billion to $2.4 billion. The midpoint rose $650 million to $2.85 billion. ZIM said the upgrade reflects “continued strong market demand and favorable momentum in freight rates.”
The higher outlook comes as US-bound spot rates remain elevated. Xeneta said Tuesday that rates from Asia to the US had likely peaked following the Hormuz crisis. Its market-average rate from the Far East stood at $11,523 per FEU to the East Coast and $8,346 to the West Coast at the start of October. Both are more than four times their level in late February, before the Middle East crisis.
Xeneta expects East Coast rates to fall to $6,000-$7,000 per FEU in three months, with West Coast rates at $4,500-$5,500. It expects a sizable correction, not a collapse.
Hapag-Lloyd lifted its own 2026 forecast a week earlier, to EBIT of $1.25 billion to $1.75 billion from $100 million to $1.1 billion. It also cited strong demand and spot rates.
Hapag-Lloyd’s $4.2 billion purchase of ZIM remains pending. Israel’s Government Companies Authority ended its review of the original deal structure, and Hapag-Lloyd and FIMI are preparing a revised proposal. The companies are still targeting a late-2026 closing.
