Today, Friday, July 20 2018, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 32 points, reaching 1689 points.

Capesize Commentary Negativity on cape paper didn’t last long as we saw buyers return in significant force yesterday. Despite the fall on the indices, the prompt paper rates kept pushing until the close of business, leading many to believe the downturn will be short lived. Panamax Commentary Another busy day on pmx with prompt once again the main focus as the range bound activity of the last few days appears to show we have found a floor here. August traded $11900 early on and September at $12100 but with a ...

In what seems to be a very healthy development for the future potential of the dry bulk market, shipbroker Allied reported this week, that during the first half of 2018, the net fleet growth was significantly lower than even the respective period of 2017. In its latest weekly report, Allied Shipbroking said that “despite being right in the midst of the summer period, the dry bulk freight market has continued to gain ground and at a relatively fast pace, with Baltic Dry Index (BDI) climbing to 1,666 basis points, a ...

Capesize spot rates could rise above $25,000 per day in Q4 if iron ore exporters meet planned shipment targets, with the upside cascading into the Panamax market as shippers consider splitting ore cargoes, according to the latest Dry Bulk Freight Forecaster from Maritime Strategies International.* The dry bulk market continues to enjoy a strong summer in the sun, with average spot rates increasing in June for all benchmarks except Handysize. By early July, Capesize average spot rates surged to almost $25,000/day. Positive sentiment is evident in one year T/C rates ...

India’s coal demand rose 7.5 percent to about 900 million tonnes in the year ending March 2018, Coal Minister Piyush Goyal told lawmakers on Wednesday. Coal is expected to remain India’s main energy source for the next three decades, even as the country encourages the use of renewable power generation. State-owned Coal India Ltd has been directed to boost production, Goyal said in a written reply to lawmakers. India, the third world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter and one of the world’s largest coal producers, depends on coal for about three-fifths ...

Today, Thursday, July 19 2018, the Baltic Dry Index decreased by 31 points, reaching 1657 points.

Today, Wednesday, July 18 2018, the Baltic Dry Index decreased by 33 points, reaching 1688 points.

Today, Tuesday, July 17 2018, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 26 points, reaching 1721 points.

Capesize Commentary A solid start to the week for the big ships as rates continued to push up in both oceans and the paper market moved further north. The July traded to a high of 23500, August to 21500 and Q4 to 24000 while the cal 19 contract traded in good size at 19250. As the afternoon progressed, a few more sellers were tempted to take profit as liquidity thinned out but overall with the physical market looking pretty solid, its hard to see a collapse on the horizon. Panamax ...

The world’s three biggest iron ore miners are expected to confirm the industry’s strongest ever quarterly export figures this week, helping to explain recent weakness in prices for the bulk commodity. Big miners have exercised restraint in both supply and rhetoric in recent years in a bid to calm fears the iron ore market could be flooded with supply, but port statistics suggest the miners’ inexorable export growth reached new heights in the three months to June 30. Brazilian miner Vale is expected to announce record quarterly production of 96.3 ...

Today, Monday, July 16 2018, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 29 points, reaching 1695 points.

Capesize A shaky start to the week in Asia where rates on the key West Australia/China run lost almost 90 cents dropping to $8.30. However, ongoing interest from the miners and operators saw levels regain ground with the expectation of over $9.00 on the cards, with some suggesting timecharter business was done, which equated to $9.10. Timecharter rates fluctuated from around $18,000 daily to the low $20,000s daily, but a 2014-built 181,000-tonner agreed a strong $24,000 daily for a West Australian round, with a 2011-built 176,000-tonner achieving $21,000 daily mid-week ...

China’s iron ore imports dropped 11.6 percent in June from the previous month, customs data showed on Friday, hit as Beijing intensifies its push to clean up the country’s environment and by mounting stockpiles at ports. Arrivals into the world’s top importer of the steelmaking material reached 83.24 million tonnes last month, according to the General Administration of Customs, down from May’s 94.14 million tonnes and from 94.7 million tonnes in June last year. Imports for the first-half of 2018 dipped 1.6 percent from the year before to 530.69 million ...

China imported 146 million mt of coal and lignite in the first half of 2018, up 9.9% from the previous year and a three-year high, according to preliminary data released Friday by the General Administration of Customs. In June China imported 25.5 million mt of coal, up 17.9% on the year and 14% on the month from 22.3 million mt in May, the data showed. This rebound in coal demand is underpinned by tight supply stemming from ongoing safety and environmental checks at major coal mines amid firm summer electricity ...

Today, Friday, July 13 2018, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 34 points, reaching 1666 points.