Baltic Dry Index Extends Pullback

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk index, which tracks rates for vessels transporting dry commodities, extended its slide into a sixth consecutive session on Thursday, dropping 5.6% to its lowest since November 21 at 2,294 points, amid weaker seasonal demand.

The capesize index, which typically transports 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore and coal, also decreased for a sixth day, plummeting 8.3% to an over two-week low of 3,927 points; and the panamax index, which usually carries 60,000-70,000 tons of coal or grain, eased for the 11th day in a row, falling 2.3% to its lowest since October 8 at 1,724 points.

Among smaller vessels, the supramax index decreased 18 points to 1,387 points.