Cement News tagged under: Freight Markets

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Markets still holding up

05 October 2004, Published under Cement News

In a quieter market linked to the absence of a lot of Asian players, all dry bulk markets remained firm. It is significant to see that even in these conditions, the Cape market did not plunge and even gained a few dollars by the end of the week helped by some more activity in the Atlantic. This still does not prove that the market will rocket during the winter but everyone starts to think that is could be wise to consolidate it’s present position rather than playing the spot. The same can be...

New business boosts rates

21 September 2004, Published under Cement News

As expected last week the market has been prompt to react to the new wave of business which surfaced this week on almost all dry bulk markets. Capesize rates regained more than half the ground lost last week and some already think that this nervousness predicts new record levels for the winter period. The list of Panamax vessels available has been quickly shortened and rates have started to peak up mid-week in both basins. Despite some more activity surfacing in the Atlantic, the HandyMax ma...

Markets still under pressure

01 September 2004, Published under Cement News

While the iron ore & steel groups are building up their production capacities and stabilising their supplies through long term contracts, all dry bulk shipping markets remain under pressure with rate levels failing to ease despite a rather low volume of business last week.  All Capes and Panamax indexes have maintained almost the same sky-high positions as last week. In the East Handymaxes were up again despite few to report, while the Atlantic market remained flat. The only negative news of...

Markets somewhat in limbo late-August

24 August 2004, Published under Cement News

With Panamaxes having been very much in the centre of attention during the past week, the market as a whole seems to have taken on a stroll along the beach. Without direction or a real pace, the market is awaiting a post-holiday revival. Panamax operations in the Pacific though  seem to be more impulsive than those on the Atlantic basin, suggesting  increasing market stability on the latter. This is more or less confirmed by  the Capesizes, who are still being strongly triggered by the...

Relax its summertime

11 August 2004, Published under Cement News

The heat that took the market up a little last week didn’t last long and rates started to level out or even decline over the last trading days. However the average daily returns remain very high despite a very limited fixing activity to report. Capes and especially Panamaxes suffered last week from a lack of business in both basins while Handysize owners benefited from a quite strong grain export trend in the Northern Europe / Black Sea areas. In such a context it has not been a surpri...

Bulk rates look for direction

27 July 2004, Published under Cement News

Despite that rates ended the week with figures lower than seven days before, the market showed that it can still be prompt to react to any tiny signal coming from demand. It has especially been the case for Capes last week with a few charterers back in the race in both basins. Panamax rates have been prevented from a further fall thanks to some more grain business arising from ECSA. As for Panamaxes the HandyMax market remains oversupply in the East, but a rebound of grain activity from the ...

Rates now on the rise

19 July 2004, Published under Cement News

Despite the announcement that Chinese industrial production is feeling the first effects of the credit squeeze organised by local authorities to avoid overheating, dry bulk markets have again experienced a very nervous week gaining between 15 to 30% (depending on ships’ sizes) in only five working days… Rates are now back to the levels they were three months ago or in the autumn 2003, just before things were at fever pitch… The "stars" of the week have definitely been Panamaxes in both basin...

Rocket-style take-off

14 July 2004, Published under Cement News

Despite the announcement that Chinese industrial production is feeling the first effects of the credit squeeze organised by local authorities to avoid overheating, dry bulk markets have again experienced a very nervous week gaining between 15 to 30 per cent (depending on ships’ sizes) in only five working days… Rates are now back to the levels they were three months ago or in the autumn 2003, just before things were at fever pitch… The "stars" of the week have definitely been Panamaxes in bo...

Start summer scale-down

22 June 2004, Published under Cement News

With spring coming to an end and the summer to commence, business is starting to scale down to summer levels as could be expected. All bulk rates continued to be under pressure and slipping gradually due to a decreasing cargo volume. Last weeks big loser were the Handymax rates, almost freefalling although still at quite historical levels. The Atlantic basin being still more favourable than the Pacific, which can be not yet be attributed to the strategic ’ease down’ of the Chinese economy. A...

Navigating in troubled waters

08 June 2004, Published under Cement News

While charterers are now firmly back on the Cape market especially in the East with a higher number of fixtures reported and rates at least stabilised, Panamaxes and Handies are navigating into troubled waters. The grain market for Panamax units is deeply affected by the Chinese ban on soybean imports from Brazil and no settlement of the situation has surfaced yet, but the Atlantic market remains busy with iron ore cargoes which allow rates to stabilize. Despite some dispersed grain fixtures...