FX.co ★ Baltic Dry Index Starts 2026 Slightly Up

On the initial trading day of 2026, the Baltic Exchange's dry bulk index, an indicator for vessel rates in the dry commodities market, edged upwards by 0.3%, reaching 1,882 points. This uptick ended a consecutive six-day decline. The panamax index, which typically handles cargoes of 60,000 to 70,000 tons of coal or grain, saw an increase of 1.2%, rising to 1,282 points. Conversely, the capesize index, responsible for transporting larger cargoes of around 150,000 tons, including iron ore and coal, continued its downward trend for the seventh consecutive day, falling by 6.4% to settle at 3,108 points, marking its lowest performance since November 12. Additionally, the supramax index, which covers smaller shipments, dropped by 68 points to 1,076 points.