Dynamics In The Dry Bulk Market

This paper investigates the interactions and price dynamics in the dry bulk freight market. A qualitative and empirical analysis provides insight into these dynamics. First, the segmented dry bulk market is introduced by presenting the different types of ships and maritime trade routes. Then, the short and long run determinants of the dry bulk freight market are examined. Finally, the interaction between similar size submarkets is studied by conducting a cointegration analysis. The Capesize and Panamax markets are found to be cointegrated for the period 2000-2013. A structural break in their long run equilibrium is established at the beginning of 2010.Cointegration is also identified between the Panamax and Supramax markets, and between the Supramax and Handysize market for the period 2006-2013. In the short run, a unidirectional effect is determined among the Capesize, Panamax and Supramax markets where only larger ships seem to influence smaller ships.

This book models price behaviour and forecasts prices in the dry bulk shipping market, a major component of the world shipping industry. Recent uncertainties in the world economy, shipbuilding developments and fleet changes mean the dry bulk shipping market has become extremely volatile, highly speculative and more sensitive to external shocks. In response to these challenging circumstances, this book models price behaviour and forecasts prices in various markets including the freight market, the new build ship market and the second-hand ship market. The authors have carried out an extensive investigation of dry bulk shipping over a 60-year period in diverse sub-markets, trading routes, market conditions and dry bulk vessels. The authors also propose a framework for analysing and modelling the economic processes of numerous variables in the dry bulk shipping market, making use of modern econometric techniques and other economic approaches. This will be especially useful for the control and assessment of risk for ship owners and charterers in ship operation, ship chartering and ship trading activities. This book will be extremely useful for shipbuilders, owners and charterers, as well as shipping analysts and policymakers. It will also be of great interest to academics and researchers concerned with the economics of the shipping industry.

The relationship between trading volume, prices and return volatility is thoroughly investigated in different second-hand dry bulk and tanker market segments. The objective is to gain fruitful insight on the sale and purchase market dynamics, and the sensitivity of vessel price movements following the arrival of new information signals in the shipping markets. Contemporaneous relationships are identified between returns and volume, particularly in the markets of handysize and panamax bulks as well as of handysize and aframax tankers. Price changes are found to have an impact on trading volume indicating that expectations to higher capital gains induce increases in trading activity. Volume appears to have a negative impact on the volatility of price changes mainly in the dry bulk market; this may be due to thin trading, limited transaction transparency and absence of vessel price quotes. The empirical findings can contribute to a better understanding of shipping markets' microstructure and price volatility dynamics by market participants. This, in turn, can be useful for investors who construct their portfolios of real assets with a view to attain superior capital gains, controlling for the underlying investment risk.

This paper examines the dynamics of conditional volatilities in the world dry-bulk market for second-hand ships. In particular, it models and compares volatility estimates between different size vessels using monthly data. The recently developed class of autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (ARCH)models are utilized for this purpose. It is found that broadly speaking prices of small vessels are less volatile than larger ones, and the nature of these volatilities vary across sizes. Panamax volatilities are mostly driven by old 'news', while new shocks are more important for Handysize and Capesize volatilities. Furthermore, conditional volatilities of Handysize and Panamax prices are positively related to interest rates and Capesize to time-charters.

Shipping is by far the most significant mode of transportation for the carriage of freight. In terms of volume alone, no other mode comes close. Its dominance is even more overwhelming when distances are accounted for. This book is concerned with the economics of this pivotal mode of transportation. It reveals that the influences on the development and current state of shipping economics research are extremely eclectic. The various chapters in the book represent areas that are of central concern to ongoing research in the field. As such, the book is useful to students, researchers, industrialists, policy makers and consultants. The authors of the contributed chapters are some of the leading names in the world of shipping economics, addressing a number of diverse areas: The econometric modeling of shipping markets; Shipping finance (a critical issue in such a capital intensive industry); Fiscal policy (and its impact on an international industry with great asset mobility) and Safety and security (aspects that have risen to prominence with increasing concerns over the environment and international terrorism). Ultimately, while shipping as a business depends upon trade, it is absolutely certain that the business of trade depends upon shipping. The final two chapters, therefore, incorporate aspects of network economics, welfare economics and international trade theory to analyze where and how shipping sits within the wider perspective of industrial supply chains. Professor Kevin Cullinane, BA BSc MSc PhD FCILT CNI Professor Kevin Cullinane is Chair in Marine Transport and Management at the University of Newcastle in the U.K. He was previously Professor and Head of the Department of Shipping and Transport Logistics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Head of the Centre for International Shipping and Transport at Plymouth University, Senior Partner in his own transport consultancy company and Research Fellow at the University of Oxford Transport Studies Unit. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and has been a transport adviser to the governments of Hong Kong, Egypt, Chile and the U.K. He holds visiting Professorships at a number of institutions and an Honorary Professorship at the University of Hong Kong.

We provide evidence on the dynamic effects of fuel price shocks, shipping demand shocks, and shipping supply shocks on real dry bulk freight rates in the long run. We first analyze a new dataset on dry bulk freight rates for the period from 1850 to 2020, finding that they followed a downward but undulating path with a cumulative decline of 79%. Next, we turn to understanding the drivers of booms and busts in the dry bulk shipping industry, finding that shipping demand shocks strongly dominate all others as drivers of real dry bulk freight rates in the long run. Furthermore, while shipping demand shocks have increased in importance over time, shipping supply shocks in particular have become less relevant.