Iron ore futures faltered on Wednesday, pressured by tit-for-tat tariffs between the United States and top metals consumer China, outweighing optimism about improved demand for Chinese steel. The most-traded May iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) closed 1.34% lower to 771 yuan ($106.18) a metric ton. The benchmark April iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was down 1.42% at $99.4 a ton, as of 0705 GMT. U.S. President Donald Trump’s doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20% took effect on Tuesday, prompting swift retaliation from Beijing ...

Today, Wednesday, March 05  2025, the Baltic Dry Index decreased by 34 points, reaching 1228 points.

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index, which tracks rates for vessels carrying dry bulk commodities, fell on Tuesday snapping a 13-session winning streak, as rates weakened across vessel segments. The main index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, shed 14 points to 1,262 points. The capesize index declined 11 points to 1,969 points. Average daily earnings for capesize vessels, which typically transport 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore and coal, decreased by $96 to $16,328. Dalian iron ore futures slid for a seventh ...

Dalian iron ore futures slid for a seventh consecutive session on Tuesday as fresh U.S. tariffs on top consumer China kicked in, heightening trade tensions. The most-traded May iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) closed down 1.14% at 781 yuan ($107.26) a metric ton. The benchmark April iron ore (SZZFJ5) on the Singapore Exchange ticked up 0.37% to $100.25 a ton as of 0705 GMT, though prices slid to $99.35 earlier in the session, the lowest since January 15. Prices fell following reports that Chinese steel mills ...

Today, Tuesday, March 04 2025, the Baltic Dry Index decreased by 14 points, reaching 1262 points.

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index, which tracks rates for vessels carrying dry bulk commodities, firmed on Monday to scale its highest level in three months, steered by strong capesize rates. The main index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was up 47 points at 1,276 points, its highest since December 3. The capesize index added 162 points to 1,980 points, its highest in more than 13 weeks. Average daily earnings for capesize vessels, which typically transport 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore ...

Today, Monday, March 03 2025, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 47 points, reaching 1276 points.

Capesize The Capesize market saw a strong upward trajectory throughout the week, with the BCI 5TC surging from $8,620 on Monday to $15,074 by Friday, reflecting improved sentiment across both basins. The Pacific market was notably firm, driven by a tightening tonnage list, steady demand from miners and operators, and increased coal cargoes, which underpinned rates. The C5 index rose from $6.65 on Monday to $9.885 by Friday. In the Atlantic, South Brazil and West Africa to China routes saw consistent support, bolstered by fresh cargo and a shorter ballaster ...

The share of US imports in the global aluminium trade has been declining gradually over the past few years, while the country’s share in the global imports of iron and steel has been increasing. For any significant decline in US imports, the country will need to expand production capacity which will entail significant capex and time. As a result, the demand for steel and aluminium products has surged ahead of the tariffs, but in the short term, trade is likely to be impacted by inflationary factors which could increase steel ...

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index, which tracks rates for vessels carrying dry bulk commodities, gained on Friday and registered its second consecutive weekly gain, driven by strong capesize rates. The main index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was up 70 points to 1,229 points, its highest since December 3. The index rose more than 18% for the week. The capesize index added 245 points to 1,818 points, an over-twelve-week high. It climbed more than 58% this week, best week since January ...

Almost half of the world’s trading dry bulk fleet was built in China, while an additional 66.4% of the orderbook is currently under construction in China. Additionally, more than 60% of the tanker fleet was also built in China, which would create a major issue when it comes to trade through the U.S. ports. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Banchero Costa said that “the current USA government is no stranger to making proposals which send shockwaves through the shipping and commodities markets. The most recent one is to target ...

Pacific Basin Shipping Limited, one of the world’s leading dry bulk shipping companies, Friday announced the results of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively the “Group”) for the year ended 31 December 2024. Stable Financial Results Mr. Martin Fruergaard, CEO of Pacific Basin, said: “In 2024, we generated an underlying profit of US$114.1 million, a net profit of US$131.7 million and EBITDA of US$333.4 million, yielding a return on equity of 7% and basic EPS of HK19.9 cents. The seasonal ups and downs that typically characterise the dry bulk market ...

Iron ore futures prices fell on Friday and were set for monthly losses, pressured by U.S. tariff concerns and mounting trade frictions against Chinese steel exports. The most-traded May iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) closed down 0.74% to 799.5 yuan ($109.72) a metric ton. The contract has lost 1.17% for the month. The benchmark March iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 1.36% lower at $103.65 a ton, losing 1.94% in February. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his proposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and ...

Today, Friday, February 28 2025, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 70 points, reaching 1229 points.

China’s evolving grain import strategy reflects its increasing focus on domestic production to enhance food security and support local farmers. This shift is reshaping the global grain trade, particularly the tonne-mile demand for Panamax vessels, by reducing their rates on specific trade routes. China’s changing grain import dynamics China’s grain imports have been on a rise through 2020 to 2023, with a peak – 60 million tonnes imported in 2021. However, Mexico overtook China to become the largest grain importer in 2024, with the latter’s imports declining 13% YoY. This ...