Sub-$2,000 a new norm for Capesize

Capesize market seemed to dive to a new low with each passing days, prompting trade participants to think if the market has bottomed or another V-shape recovery is around the corner. Gone are the heydays of the boom days when spot cape was trading high toward $200,000 per day in the 2008 and instead the …

China’s Industrial Economy Improves While Consumers Remain Wary

China’s industrial output increased in April for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak, adding to early signs of a recovery that economists cautioned would be slow and challenging. Industrial output rose 3.9% from a year earlier, reversing a drop of 1.1% in March, data showed Friday. Fixed-asset investment decreased 10.3% in the first four …

Another low for Capesize rates due to long ballaster list

Capesize freight rate reached another low due to bearish market sentiment in both the Pacific and Atlantic basins. The Capesize 5 time charter average dived down further toward the $2,000 level on Wednesday, at $2,082, down $811 on-day. The lengthy ballaster tonnage list remained hard for the market to digest, which prompt some shipowners to …

Capesize rates drag down by ballasters

It was another ugly day for the Capesize market as rates continued to deteriorate from oversupply of vessels and low shipping demand. The Capesize 5 time charter average plunged further by $949 on-day to $2,893 on Tuesday, due to sell off on the paper market. With the massive sell off, the market sentiment has become …

Recovery Quickens as PBOC Vows Support

Recovery Quickens as PBOC Vows Support Chinese industrial commodities began the week on the front foot after the central bank pledged more powerful policies to combat the coronavirus’s hammer blow to growth. The evidence of the past few days, from shrinking crude and metals stockpiles, to the rebound in car sales and usage, suggest that …

Ship Fuel Supply May Rise as Virus Hits Other Oil Products

Ship Fuel Supply May Rise as Virus Hits Other Oil Products The demand destruction in transportation fuels caused by the coronavirus pandemic is providing an incentive to produce more IMO 2020-compliant ship fuel, according to a report from Energy Aspects dated April 30. Decline in jet fuel demand could easily push up diesel yields by …