FX.co ★ Baltic Dry Index Edges Down, Still Books Weekly Gain

The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index, an indicator that monitors the rates for vessels carrying dry commodities, ended its three-day upward trend with a decline on Friday, dropping by 7 points to land at 2,259 points. This decrease was seen across all categories of vessels. Specifically, the capesize index, known for transporting large cargoes of approximately 150,000 tons such as iron ore and coal, fell by 14 points to 3,627 points. Similarly, the panamax index, typically accommodating loads of 60,000-70,000 tons of coal or grain, decreased by 3 points to reach 1,832 points. Meanwhile, the supramax index, representing smaller vessel categories, reduced by 4 points to 1,479 points. However, the overall benchmark index still registered a 2.5% increase this week, primarily driven by a 5.5% rise in the capesize segment.