FX.co ★ Baltic Dry Index Halts 2-Day Advance

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk index, which measures freight rates for vessels transporting dry commodities, ended a two-session advance on Friday, edging down about 0.6% to 2,083 points, weighed down by weakness in larger vessels.

The capesize index, reflecting rates for ships that typically carry 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore and coal, fell 1.9% to 3,181 points. By contrast, the panamax index, which covers vessels that usually transport 60,000–70,000 tons of coal or grain, rose 0.6% to 1,777 points, while the supramax index gained 1.8% to 1,186 points.

Despite Friday’s pullback, the overall benchmark index advanced about 8.3% over the week.