FedEx Predicts Another Record in Holiday-Season Deliveries

FedEx expects another record for holiday-season deliveries. The company forecast Wednesday that deliveries between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve will rise 8.8% over last year, to 290 million shipments. That's a more subdued forecast than a year ago, when FedEx predicted 13% growth for the season. Volume is expected to surge on each of the first three Mondays in December. FedEx says the peak day is likely to be Dec. 15, when it expects to handle 22.6 million shipments around the world. With that being said, the company plans to hire 50,000 seasonal workers to help carry the load. FedEx expects to invest $1.2 billion in its ground-shipping network in its current fiscal year. The company said that the improvements have sped up ground delivery by a day or more in more than two-thirds of the U.S.