By Bob Sechler
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) said it expects to ship about 400 million packages worldwide between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a figure it described as "up slightly" from 2008.
The package-delivery giant forecast 22 million shipments on what it expects to be its peak day, Dec. 21.
The figure is flat with its 2007 peak day. UPS has declined to provide specific data for the 2008 holiday shipping season, calling the period "an anomaly" because of the economic downturn.
FedEx Corp. (FDX) said last week that it expects to ship more than 13 million packages on Dec. 14, its anticipated busiest day. The figure is up about 8% from 12 million on FedEx's busiest day of 2008.
-By Bob Sechler, Dow Jones Newswires; 512-394-0285; bob.sechler@dowjones.com