Why we should care about the Baltic Dry IndexDespite its shortcomings, the Baltic Dry Index is still a useful measure.For example, while it was slow to signal troubling times in 2008, its rise in ...

The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is a shipping and trade index created by the London-based Baltic Exchange. It measures changes in the cost of transporting various raw materials , such as coal and steel.

The Baltic Dry Index is an economic indicator. It takes an assessment of nearly two dozen major shipping routes to gauge the rate of ships carrying dry commodity goods like coal, iron ore, and grain.

Why we should care about the Baltic Dry Index Despite its shortcomings, the Baltic Dry Index is still a useful measure. For example, while it was slow to signal troubling times in 2008, its rise ...

But on the simplest economic level, the Baltic Dry Index measures supply and demand on a worldwide scale. When the BDI falls, it reflects falling global commodities sales and shipping prices.

Tuesday's close lower on the Baltic Dry Index marked the thirty-third consecutive decline of the index, an indication of the daily rate for a ship carrying dry bulk goods such as grain, coal and ...

The index in question is called the "Baltic Dry Index," or BDI, and it once again merits a closer look: After peaking in May, the BDI has fallen for 35 straight days.

The Baltic Dry Index recorded a decreased percentage in trading to 1,063 on September 30, 2014, from 1,151 at the beginning of the month. So far in October, the Index decreased more to 1,029 as of ...

Since the Baltic Dry Index débuted, in 1985, economists of all stripes have routinely consulted it as a trusted proxy for trade activity. Photograph by Carlos Jasso / REUTERS ...

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Thursday, ...