Rise in Baltic Dry Index hints that worst of global trade slump may be over

Shipping the world’s goods around the globe is often used as a guide to the overall health of the world economy and the extent of globalisation in tangible products. The Baltic Dry Index provides a signal about the strength of demand for freight in the world index - the index is the market place for the buying and selling of shipping freight contracts and the value of the Baltic Dry seems to have recovered a little from the lows of a few months ago, largely it appears on the back of a rise in demand for cargo into the Chinese economy. This BBC video provides good background on the recent volatility in the value of the Baltic Dry Index.