FBX Index March 2023: Quiet before the storm?

The data indicators which became available over the past month all share a common trait. They show relatively modest changes compared to the previous months. Freight rates across the board continued to decline, albeit some more than others. However, the pace of the decline was mainly quite subdued compared to the sharp drops seen in […]

Grain Highlights 13.03.2023

At the negotiations on the extension of Ukraine’s grain corridor in Geneva, the Russian delegation agreed to renew the deal for another 60 days. – Over the week of March 6-12, 487,000 tons of wheat were exported from the Russian port of Novorossiysk (-19,000 a week earlier). 72,000 tons were sent to Saudi Arabia, 69,000 […]

U.S. freight movements fall amid excess inventories

U.S. manufacturers and distributors are still struggling to digest excess stocks of raw materials and finished products ordered before an abrupt slowdown in merchandise spending in the second half of 2022. Total inventories of raw materials, work-in-progress and finished items held by manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers were equivalent to 1.37 months of sales at the […]

Demand for greener supply chain boosts PCTC newbuild market in China

Data from Clarkson shows this niche area is outperforming the rest of the shipping market, with 38 newbuild PCTCs ordered in 2021 and 90 more in 2022. The rise rests on several factors: limited shipping capacity, an increase in trade of vehicles since late 2020, the quest for greener supply chain solutions, particularly from electric […]

Grain Highlights 12.03.2023

In 2023/24, the grain production in Russia will reach 120-125 million tons. There is a cyclicality that shows that every 12 years a very good production is followed by a very poor one. – In 2023/24, the grain production in Russia will reach 120-125 million tons. There is a cyclicality that shows that every 12 […]

Transit of non-oil goods via Anzali port up 402% in 11 months yr/yr

Transit of non-oil commodities through Iran’s northern Anzali port increased by 402 percent in the first eleven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2022-February 19, 2023), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, a provincial official announced. Hossein Younesi, the director-general of the Ports and Maritime Department […]

Grain Highlights 11.03.2023

According to a forecast of the Rosario Grain Exchange, the soybean production in Argentina is projected to reach 27 million tons in 2022/23 (-7.5 compared to the previous estimate), which is 45% below initial expectations and the lowest level for the last 15 years. – In March, a record 4.35 million tons of wheat will […]

Grain Highlights 09.03.2023

According to ABARES forecast, the wheat production in Australia is projected to reach 28.2 million tons in 2023/24 (-28% compared to 2022/23). – ProZerno forecasts a grain production in Ukraine in 2023/24 of 38 million tons (52.4 in 2022/23), including wheat production of 14 million tons (-26%), corn production of 21 million tons (-21%) and […]

Grain Highlights 08.03.2023

As of 03/04/2023, 63.6% of the planned areas for the second corn crop have been sown in Brazil (74.8% a year earlier). – Over the July-February period, the largest customer of Russian wheat is Turkey with 5.5 million tons (4.9 a year earlier), followed by Egypt with 5.3 million tons (3.8), Saudi Arabia with 1.9 […]

Grain Highlights 07.03.2023

According to forecasts of Russian analysts, the wheat production in Russia will reach 80-86 million tons in 2023 , barley production will be around 20 million tons and corn production will be within 14-15 million tons. The total grain production is projected at 125-131.5 million tons. – In February 2023, 1,589 million tons of grain […]