FX.co ★ Baltic Dry Index Eases, Still Posts Weekly Gain

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk index, which tracks freight rates for vessels transporting dry commodities, slipped for a second consecutive session on Friday, edging down about 0.1% to 2,056 points. The panamax index, covering ships that typically carry 60,000 to 70,000 tons of coal or grain, declined around 0.3% to 1,904 points, while the supramax index fell 0.4% to 1,224 points. By contrast, the capesize index, reflecting rates for vessels that usually haul about 150,000 tons of cargo such as iron ore and coal, inched up 0.2% to 2,971 points. For the week, the benchmark index posted a gain of 1.4%.