Trade numbers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest seaport complex, rose sharply in February compared with the same month last year, lending strength to the arguments of some experts who believe that a stronger-than-anticipated recovery may be underway.

It was the port complex’s third straight month of growth compared with year-earlier figures. At the Port of Long Beach, which is second only to Los Angeles among ports that move mostly cargo containers, imports and exports increased 39.3% and 32.8%, respectively. … At the Port of Los Angeles, the growth was almost as strong, and officials there managed a rare victory in trade between Asia and the West Coast.

From the Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2010