Baltic Dry Index rises 1.6% to 2,673 after hitting four-week low

The dry bulk shipping benchmark rebounded on Thursday after three straight losses, as capesize and panamax rates rose while supramax extended declines to a three-week low.

Summary

The Baltic Dry Index, a benchmark for global dry bulk shipping costs, rose 1.6% to 2,673 on Thursday after falling 1.2% to a four-week low of 2,632 on Wednesday. The rebound was driven by gains in larger vessel segments: the capesize index rose 2.5% to 4,167 after dropping 1.8% to 4,067 the previous day, while the panamax index added 2.3% to 2,040, its highest level since July 24, after edging up 0.4% to 1,995 on Wednesday. The supramax index continued to weaken, falling 1.1% to 1,610 after a 1.2% decline to 1,628 the prior session.

Terms & Concepts
  • Baltic Dry Index: Benchmark of global dry bulk shipping freight rates.
  • Capesize: Large bulk carrier that typically transports about 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore and coal.
  • Panamax: Bulk carrier that usually transports about 60,000 to 70,000 tons of cargo such as coal or grain.