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Ever wonder why prices are rising so fast? One reason is that with rapidly rising energy prices under the Biden Administration, the costs are getting passed-through to consumers in the form of higher prices. According to the Cass Corp Freight Index, the total spent in December on shipping goods to their customers in the US spiked by 43.6% from December 2020 to December 2021. Not surprising since energy prices over the past year have soared by almost 50%. But at the same time, the Baltic Dry index (The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is a shipping and trade index created by...

Germany’s top industry body on Sunday called for sales subsidies on electric cars to be extended to fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. Dieter Kempf, president of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), made the demand in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Germany’s powerful-but-struggling carmakers have been calling for the expansion of the subsidies on electric cars, in a bid to shore up their positions during the coronavirus-induced economic crisis. “In view of the crisis, it makes sense to introduce a further purchase bonus for at least 12 months in addition to the environmental premium, provided that this premium is part of a cross-sectoral...

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has signaled that the government will consider building a space launch center after German industries demanded more to investment in space research and development. “Space travel excites many people and creates thousands of jobs. We are leaders in satellite technology. Therefore, I will examine the suggestion of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) for a spaceport,” he told the mass-circulation Bild. German industry has called for the space innovation budget to more than double from €285 million ($318 million) to a level on par with France at more than €700 million. …

Who could have seen this coming? Remember a week ago when TV entertainers crowed about the surge in The Baltic Dry Freight Index was a "clear signal" that 'China is back' baby and that escape velocity growth was just around the corner as global growth was destined to pick up... Well, just as we warned very explicitly, the ramp in the index merely reflected the frenzied speculation in industrial metals by the Chinese and as authorities have cracked down on that idiocy, so the Baltic Dry has plunged by the most since November... as real demand punches back.

Tyler DurdenFebruary 5, 2016) Before this year the lowest level The Baltic Dry Index had reached was 556 in August of 1986 and the highest was in June 2008 at a stunning 11,612. Today saw the freight index hit a new milestone however, crashing through the 300 barrier for the first time ever - at 298, this is almost 50% below the previous record low.Commodities obviously are saying something very different from "the market"...> And as Dana Lyons notes, of course much of the input into the BDI comes from the price of raw materials. Considering the deflationary spiral in...

A measure of international trade often seen as a bellwether for the global economy has crashed to its lowest level ever, fueling fears we could be heading for another 2008-style crash. Back in November, the Baltic Dry Index dropped below 500 for the first time in recorded history, and it has kept falling ever since. On Wednesday morning it fell to a low of 369. To put that into perspective, the index was as high as 1,222 in August, and it has fallen 84% from a recent peak of 2,330 in late 2013. The Baltic Dry Index measures how much...

"A key barometer of world trade has crashed to a record low in a worrying sign the global economy is grinding to a halt. The so-called Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of shipping raw materials such as coal, iron ore and grain, has fallen nearly 70 per cent since August to its lowest level since its introduction in 1985. The slump – which analysts said showed 'global trade is really suffering' as the outlook worldwide darkens – fuelled fears that the economy is heading for the rocks. It came on another bruising day for investors as worries about...

Tyler Durden 08/23/2015 Three weeks ago, when we last looked at the collapse in trade along what may be the most trafficked route involving China, i.e., from Asia to Northern Europe, we noted that while that particular shipping freight rate Europe had crashed some 23% on just one week, there was some good news: at least the Baltic Dry index was still inexplicably rising, and at last check it was hovering just above 1,100. That is no longer the case, and just as with everything else in recent months, the Baltic Dry dead cat bounce is now over, with the...

July 21 2015 Clark Schultz, SA News Editor The Baltic Dry Index rose 4.3% to 1,113 with gains registering for capesize, panamax, and supramax rates. The BDI has doubled since February when a weak market prompted some companies to scrap ships. Shipping rates are still well-below the level from late 2013 to late 2014.(snip)

Tyler Durden 02/16/2015 You know things are bad in the ship-building business when... amid considerably larger than expected losses, China's COSCO announced that it has dis-assembled 8 vessels in January alone (including 3 bulk carriers) and will be decommissioning and disposing of them as it awaits a "more conducive" environment. It appears that is not coming anytime soon, as The Baltic Dry Index just hit 522 - a new all-time low (down a stunning 53 of the last 55 days). As COSCO explains in its HKSE Statement:(snip)

Is World Trade Falling Like A Lead Balloon Minus Terminal Velocity? Alarming Collapse of Baltic Dry Index Economics / Recession 2012 Jan 30, 2012 - 03:32 AM By: BATR Significance of BDI Is the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) one of the most significant leading economic indicators to follow when the media is telling us the global economy is looking great one week and then predicting a double dip recession the next? We are increasingly concerned about the substantial decline in global shipping’s Baltic Dry Index. Is this a significant canary in the mine shaft in regard to what lies ahead...

The TRUTH About The Massive Plunge In The Baltic Dry Index Joe Weisenthal January 29-2012 Lately we've been getting a lot of concerned emails about this chart. That chart is a 1-year look at the Baltic Dry Index, which measures the spot cost of shipping good by ship around the world. As you can see, it's plunged nearly 66% since its recent highs, and understandably, people are wondering whether this remarkable deflation means the global economy is falling straight off the cliff, or at a minimum indicative of a rapid hard landing in China. To answer this question, let's first...

CHART OF THE DAY: Why Is The Baltic Dry Index Getting Crushed? Sam Ro Jan. 25, 2012, 9:48 AMPeople can't seem to decide if they're concerned or just confused by the Baltic Dry Index (BDIY), which has plunged 53% since the beginning of the year.The BDIY is a benchmark for dry bulk shipping rates and is often cited as a proxy for the global economy. Sure, the global economy isn't as healthy as it could be. Just yesterday, the IMF cut its global GDP growth forecast to 3.3% in 2012 and 3.9% in 2013. This compares to its previous forecast...

What The Baltic Dry Index May Be Telling Us Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2011 Apr 23, 2011 - 11:31 AM By: Tim Wood Just as with the stock market, I've maintained that the advance seen since the early 2009 lows, in other asset classes, are also counter-trend moves. This view has not changed and based on my research I believe that once these counter-trend bounces have run their course, the longer-term secular bear will again reassert himself. In doing so, I look for all asset classes to decline in conjunction with the phase II decline of the ongoing secular bear...

Gold, Commodities Divergence Against Baltic Dry Index Trend Commodities / Commodities Trading Jan 07, 2011 - 05:38 AM By: Anthony_J_Stills For weeks now I have been going on about the divergence between the commodities prices and the Baltic Dry Index as the former rallies while the latter sinks almost daily. Last night was no exception as the Baltic Dry Index took another big dive as you can see here: The Index dropped another 72 points, after a 5% drop the day before, to close at 1,622. This is a second consecutive close below the 2010 low of 1,700 and a...

The Baltic Dry Index Has Exploded Higher And The Silence From The Bears Is Deafening Vincent Fernando, CFA Aug. 23, 2010, 10:27 AM Earlier this year when the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), a measure of shipping rates for dry bulk commodities, was plummeting, many were to quick to point out that this 'signaled' an end to the global recovery, even though the Baltic Dry Index is lousy, if not completely useless, as a leading indicator for the global economy. Yet now the index has rebounded extremely hard over the span of just two weeks... and the silence from the bears...

A Reminder Of Why The Baltic Dry Index Is A Useless Leading Economic Indicator Joe Weisenthal Jul. 11, 2010, 9:16 AM With the Baltic Dry Index falling for more than 30-days, there's plenty of talk about how this is a signal of collapsing global demand, and a confirmation that we are indeed headed for a double dip. Well it could be saying that. Or it might not be. But before you jump to any conclusions, you should at least know what the BDI is really measuring. Here's part of what our Vincent Fernando wrote (then an occasional contributor), back in...

Look Out Below: The Baltic Dry Index Is In Freefall by: Brett Owens July 09, 2010 Remember a few weeks ago, when the Baltic Dry Index was on the ropes? Well, it's off the ropes - and in complete freefall. Support has NOT held for the BDI, a favorite leading indicator of many investors. And one, might I add, that has performed quite well since the equity markets topped in 2007 (in '09, the BDI turned up 3 months before stocks). The short term prediction appears to be PAIN, as shipping rates plummet. Apparently not as much to ship as...

The BDI May Have Collapsed, But Check Out The Shipping Rebound Everybody's Missing Vincent Fernando, CFA Jul. 7, 2010, 1:07 PM The recent plunge of the Baltic Dry Index has by now been relatively well documented. Thing is, the Baltic Dry measures shipping rates for just one facet of the economy -- primarily dry bulk commodities demand from developing nations (mostly China) against global dry bulk ship supply. What many have missed, however, has been the surging rates for container shipping, which primarily measure demand for products from developed nations (mostly the U.S. and Europe) against global container ship supply....

Amid The Financial Turmoil, One Economic Indicator Is Soaring Oilprice.com May 25, 2010, 5:18 PM The financial world is coming unglued again. Greece has pushed the E.U. to the brink. Global stock markets are tumbling. And yet, at the same time at least one economic indicator is soaring. The Baltic Dry Index. Today, the BDI jumped nearly 9%. The largest daily jump in at least the last six months. In fact, the index is up 40% since the end of April. A jump that has roughly coincided with the recent decline in global stock markets. The BDI tracks global shipping...