Weekly Freight Recap: 01/05/25
May 01, 2025
PANAMAX Atlantic: The Atlantic Panamax market softened over the week, with spot demand showing only limited support, particularly out of North Coast South America. Activity slowed across most areas, partly due to industry events and holidays. The Mediterranean saw a buildup in available tonnage, though sentiment remained cautiously firm. Despite some isolated fixtures, overall momentum remained muted, and many participants adopted a wait-and-see approach.
Pacific: The Pacific continued its downward trend, weighed down by a growing tonnage list and subdued inquiry. Trades from North Pacific and Australia lost ground, with weaker bids pushing owners to test lower levels. Activity out of Indonesia also slowed, offering little support. While tonnage remains tight in some pockets, overall sentiment in the region weakened, keeping rates under pressure.
SUPRAMAX Atlantic: The Atlantic Supramax market remained lackluster, with the US Gulf under continued pressure due to weak demand and oversupply. The South Atlantic offered relatively more stability, though fixtures remained limited. Sentiment across the Continent and Mediterranean stayed cautious, with little fresh enquiry to provide upward momentum.
Pacific: The Pacific Supramax segment faced a quiet week, with holidays dampening activity and many participants still absent post-conference. Indonesian coal business provided some support, but overall fresh cargo was limited, and rates slipped slightly. Owners held firm where possible, but pressure remained from the growing number of open vessels.
HANDYSIZE Atlantic: The Atlantic Handysize market remained under pressure, especially in the US Gulf and Mediterranean, where demand failed to pick up. The Continent saw steady but unspectacular activity, while the South Atlantic offered slightly firmer sentiment due to steady grain flows. Still, overall activity was light, and rate levels continued to face downward pressure.
Pacific: The Pacific Handysize market held mostly flat, with little change in fundamentals. Tonnage levels remained high, particularly in Southeast Asia, while cargo inquiry stayed thin. A few fixtures provided limited support, but the market lacked the drive to push rates meaningfully higher.
Weekly Recaps
Freight
Freight Recap:
28/08/25
Aug 28, 2025
The dry bulk freight market maintained a firm tone this week, with Handysize, Supramax, and Panamax indices all showing gains.
Commodities
Agri- Commodities:
18-22/08/25 Agri
Aug 25, 2025
Grain markets opened the week quietly, with price changes in most U.S. futures limited to within half a percent as traders awaited Donald Trump’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, the weekly U.S. crop conditions report, and the first findings from the U.S. crop tour. MATIF wheat closed slightly higher, led by the front contract on reports of demand for French wheat.
Freight
Freight Recap:
21/08/25
Aug 21, 2025
The dry bulk freight market ended the week on a firmer note overall, with gains in the Atlantic supporting Panamax and Supramax indices, while Handysize sentiment strengthened across both hemispheres. The Pacific remained softer for Panamax, but Supramax and Handysize showed relative balance with selective firmness.
Commodities
Agri- Commodities:
11-15/08/25 Agri
Aug 18, 2025
Grain markets experienced another volatile week as political developments, trade disputes, and bearish USDA data drove sentiment. Early in the week, soybeans surged on speculation that Chinese buying might resume following Donald Trump’s extension of tariff pauses, but corn and wheat failed to follow. Export inspections painted a mixed picture, with corn and soybeans performing well while wheat lagged. The USDA’s August WASDE loomed large over the market, with traders bracing for higher yield estimates.
