Tuesday, 09 September 2008


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The Baltic Dry Index, an overall measure of commodity shipping costs, fell for the past three weeks amid signs China's steelmakers are using up stockpiles of iron ore and curbing imports. Shipping derivatives show some traders are speculating the cost of hiring panamaxes will advance at least 22 percent during the final three months of the year.
Panamaxes are the largest commodity carriers to sail though the Panama Canal. Derivatives called forward freight agreements indicate the average cost of hiring such vessels will be $57,200 a day in the final three months of 2008, compared with $48,872 a day on Sept. 5.
On Aug. 27, the contracts indicated the market would rise by 31 percent in the fourth quarter, boosted by rising demand from China's steelmakers and a seasonal increase in grain shipments.




Source: Bloomberg