Baltic dry bulk freight index (BDI)- an index reflecting the price of main raw materials for shipping. When there is an economic crisis or economic growth slows down obviously, the slump of commodity market, the sharp drop of prices and the sharp drop of maritime trade will all lead to the decline of freight, and BDI will also drop accordingly, so the index is also regarded as a barometer of the international economy.

Baltic Panama Index-Panama-type freight index (DWT between 60,000 and 75,000 tons) in the dry bulk freight index published by Baltic Shipping Exchange.

Baltic Cape of Good Hope Index, Baltic Heavy Products International Tanker Index, Baltic Light Products International Tanker Index, Baltic Super Obstacle Ship Index, as mentioned above.

First of all, we should know that this index is released by the Baltic Air Exchange. Baltic Air Exchange is the first and oldest shipping market in the world. 1744 was born in Baltic Coffee House, Virginia, USA. At present, it is a world-famous shipping exchange, located in London, England. 656 companies from 46 countries around the world are members of the Baltic Air Exchange. In order to meet the needs of customers, Baltic Shipping Exchange began to publish the daily freight rate index-BFI on 1985, which is a comprehensive index composed of the freight rates of several traditional dry bulk carrier routes according to their respective importance and proportion in the shipping market. From 65438 to 0999, the international Baltic Composite Freight Index (BDI) replaced BFI and became a barometer representing the trend of the international dry bulk transport market. In the Baltic Exchange, there is a group composed of eight member companies, which is responsible for calculating the Baltic freight index for that day. Every morning, the eight companies will submit the freight rate or daily rental level of each route that they think is feasible on that day to the members, and keep it strictly confidential to ensure fairness and accuracy; In group calculation, the highest value and the lowest value are subtracted, and the average freight rate and daily rental level of each route are calculated respectively, and then multiplied by the conversion constant respectively to obtain the conversion index of each route; Then add up the conversion indexes of each route, and the result is the Baltic freight index announced that day.

This index is the authoritative index to measure the international shipping situation in the world at present, and it is also the leading index to reflect the international trade situation. If the index rises significantly, it shows that countries' economies are in good condition and international trade is booming. A few years ago, due to the rapid economic development in China and the global economic recovery, the global demand for raw materials increased greatly, which led to the rapid prosperity of shipping. In 2003, the BDI index was less than 3,000 points, but in 2004, it doubled to over 6,000 points. Therefore, China's trade with other countries and the demand for global primary raw materials are the main reasons for the rise in international shipping prices. While the index is rising, we can really see that the rise of shipping price is consistent with the rising curve of several bulk raw materials in the commodity market at present.

Therefore, as a strategic investor in many futures markets, the degree of concern for the index is self-evident. Although many commodity prices are still at a high level this year, BDI prices have plummeted, indicating that the demand for raw materials in the global market is weakening and economic growth will also fall back. Of course, the macro-control policy implemented by China since last year is an important reason for the slowdown in China's demand and the decline in the value of BDI. The slowdown in global economic growth is another factor that led to the sharp drop in the index. Therefore, it is expected that the market price of bulk raw materials in the commodity market will fall across the board in the near future.

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