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Mancalë Index · method v0.2

Panama Canal

Is the news about this chokepoint louder or quieter than the ships passing through it justify? Measured each week against a fixed 2019–22 normal.

Ships ahead of news

Week of 2 November 2026

Ship traffic: 27.3 ships a day, −16% against a normal of 32.4; news coverage 0.2× its normal. Gap −2.21. Ships ahead of news for 2 weeks.

Ship transits, % of the 2019–22 normal (1 week above 130% drawn at the top)

Panama Canal: ship transits each week from 31 Dec 2018 to 02 Nov 2026. In the latest week, 27.3 a day, −16% against normal. Lowest week: 22 Jan 2024, −44%.

News coverage, multiple of its 2019–22 normal (log scale)

Panama Canal: news coverage each week as a multiple of normal. Latest week: 0.2×. Loudest week: 30 Mar 2020, 36×.

Mancalë gap: attention minus flow stress

Panama Canal: the gap each week. Latest week: −2.21. Highest: +6.00 in the week of 20 Apr 2026. Lowest: −3.62 in the week of 08 Jun 2020.

Read with care: The canal authority sets daily slots and draft limits, and a change to either moves traffic directly. Its advisories explain most changes in this series. The news query needs a shipping word next to "Panama Canal"; a story about who controls the canal still counts if it mentions shipping, so a political week can read as louder than the ships justify.

Other chokepoints

The same reading elsewhere

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