Rising cardboard prices may signal better times ahead for the goods economy. Producers of the thick paper used to make delivery boxes for everything from pizza to apparel are lifting prices for the first time since the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates early last year. The WSJ’s Ryan Dezember reports that the move is a sign the inventory hoarding that characterized the postpandemic recovery is ending and the economy might be revving up. Packaging producers such as International Paper, WestRock and Packaging Corp. of America over the past year slowed output and cut prices amid rising borrowing costs, shifting consumer spending and retailers’ destocking efforts. The companies now say demand is picking up, their own costs have risen and they plan to raise prices in the new year. Analysts say the price hikes could indicate consumer spending is shifting back toward goods rather than services.

China’s grip on graphite is threatening to derail efforts to get more Americans into electric cars. The WSJ’s Scott Patterson and Andrew Duehren report that the Biden administration’s revamped tax credits for electric vehicles are meant to both boost EV sales in the U.S. while weaning automakers off Chinese suppliers. The attempt is running up against the EV battery supply chain, which relies heavily on China. The tax credits exclude EVs containing battery parts from a “foreign entity of concern,” which includes China. But China produces 97% of the world’s supply of the rarefied form of graphite that is needed to make rechargeable EV batteries. Automakers have been reshuffling their supply chains to qualify for the credits, but battery experts say it is unlikely U.S. and European automakers can find enough processed graphite supply outside China to keep the list of eligible EVs from narrowing in 2025.

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and signaled inflation has improved more rapidly than anticipated. (WSJ)

U.S. wholesale prices increased 0.9% over the 12 months through November. (MarketWatch)

A judge overseeing the bankruptcy of failed carrier Yellow approved the sale of 28 terminals to trucker XPO. (WSJ)

Tesla is recalling more than two million vehicles over concerns the car maker’s Autopilot system can be misused by drivers. (WSJ)

Online marketplace Etsy is cutting 11% of its workforce. (WSJ)

The climate deal at the COP28 conference in Dubai is expected to put pressure on renewable-energy projects in the U.S. and elsewhere. (WSJ)

More than 37% of global container capacity will be subject to upcoming European Union regulations on carbon emissions. (ShippingWatch)

Armed guards on a fuel tanker exchanged gunfire with a small boat in the Red Sea amid escalating risks in the critical shipping lane. (Bloomberg)

China’s Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping Group has ordered up to 10 methanol-ready bulk carriers. (TradeWinds)

A police force in the northwest of England is deploying officers in a decoy parcel-delivery van in an effort to deter package thefts. (BBC)

Delivery truck maker Morgan Olson plans to lay off more than 900 workers from plants in Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia. (Supply Chain Dive)

A trucking recruitment agency is calling for Mattel to introduce a Truck Driver Barbie. (Commercial Carrier Journal)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.