FX.co ★ Baltic Dry Index Ticks Down

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk freight index, which measures shipping rates for vessels transporting dry bulk commodities, inched down 0.1% to 3,430 points on Wednesday, remaining close to its highest level since September 14. The capesize index, reflecting rates for vessels that typically carry 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore and coal, slipped 0.5% to 5,861 points. In contrast, the panamax index, which tracks ships that usually transport 60,000 to 70,000 tons of coal or grain, climbed 1.5% to 2,333 points, while the supramax index edged up 0.1% to 1,778 points.