UNITED KINGDOM August 08 2016 2:04 PM     

LONDON (Scrap Register): The main  sea freight index at Baltic Exchange for ships carrying dry bulk commodities  continued to stay below 650 points on Friday as lower cape, panamax and supramax  rates.

The Baltic Dry Index, which provides an assessment of the price of  moving the major raw materials – such as coal, iron ore and grain – by sea by  taking in 23 shipping routes measured on a time charter basis, unchanged at 636  points on Friday.

In early summer the BDI was steady around 600 points  but then it embarked upon a steep, and unexpected rally that pushed it well  above 700 points. This surge just lost its support, and the BDI has been  declining.

The index is based on a daily survey of agents all over the  world. Baltic Dry hit a temporary peak on May 20, 2008, when the index hit  11,793. The lowest level ever reached was on February 10 2016, when the index  plummeted to 290 points.