The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk freight index, which tracks rates for ships transporting dry bulk commodities, rose for a third consecutive session on Friday, gaining about 0.8% to reach 2,031 points. The capesize index, which typically covers vessels carrying around 150,000 tons of cargo such as iron ore and coal, also advanced for a third straight day, climbing 2% to 3,032 points, its highest level since March 4. Meanwhile, the supramax index edged up by 1 point to 1,206 points, while the panamax index, which generally measures rates for ships carrying 60,000 to 70,000 tons of coal or grain, extended its decline, falling about 0.8% to a new six-week low of 1,756 points. Over the week, the benchmark index fell by approximately 1.2%.