Ship Shape: The End of the Road

One thing that has confusingly held true up to now was that, against all the trends of many other commodities and market, iron ore kept on rising. It has been the black sheep of the markets, standing there, teeth gritted, weathering the storm that had swept away many other markets. However, just as other markets …

Shine, shine, shine a light

We are seeing History in the making when the European Union announced its 750 billion- Euro ($824 billion) recovery package, aimed at boosting economic growth and creating a swathe of new jobs. The capital injection will have global financial markets breathing a sigh of relief, following the commitment from China at the Two Session to …

Iron ore futures surge as inventories dive

Iron ore futures advanced again on Thursday amid ongoing supply concerns from Brazil.   Brazilian miner Vale is the subject of an anti-corruption lawsuit; with the company alleged to have hindered inspections at the site of a dam that was collapsed early last year.   Furthermore, it was reported that there had been a sudden …

Capesize suffers from oversupply

Capesize market came under pressure again amid bearish market sentiment for June. Thus, the Capesize 5 time charter average went below $4,000 level again, after a drop of $334 to $3,786 on Wednesday. The volatile bunker market did not help to support the freight rates and thus the Baltic Dry Index went downhill by 0.79% …

API v EIA – quick on the draw?

The predicted rise in US stock levels have dragged down markets further this morning, continuing losses and putting prices ever closer to the $30 mark again.   Data from U.S. industry group API predicts crude stocks rose by 8.7 million barrels in the week to May 22, compared with analysts’ expectations for a draw of …

FIS Castaway – Eps.9 – Unprecedented Coverage in Unprecedented Times

In Episode 9 of Castaway we have special guest Julie Arnold talking to us about power markets – especially the new emerging Japanese power market. We also have our regular news and commodity market reviews and a hot potato of a new random market of the week. Click on the link below to listen now! …

Slow start to Capesize after long weekend

Capesize market made a slow start after a long weekend break, with sluggish shipping demand in physical and paper markets. Thus, the Capesize 5 time charter average dipped slightly by $20 to $4,120 on spot rates, almost a flat index that failed to inspire the paper market. The almost unchanged index may reflect market concerns …