Recent days of consecutive gains for the Capesizes have pushed rates back up to near their YTD peaks of the early summer. Chartering activity was buoyed by steady and growing cargo demand in both hemispheres, seemingly unhindered by the loss of broking players from the magnet effect of the Eisbein weekend in Hamburg. Adverse weather conditions have been tying up vessels across several big Pacific runs, adding to the tightening in available tonnage, making charterers scramble even more for ships as cargo requirements grow apace. Inter-Pacific voyage rates have surged over the past week with W.Australia delivery to S.China reaching upwards of US$ 9.8/mt after trading at around US$ 8.6/mt just a week earlier. In the western hemisphere, trans-Atlantic RVs have surged nearly US$ 2,000 day-by-day to push levels back to the high teens of US$ 18,000. Front haul trips have pushed past US$ 40,000 daily.
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Atlantic Ultramaxes are buoyed by the success of the USG delivery business with front hauls pushing steadily toward US$ 25,000 daily on modern tonnage of 63,500 dwt bound for the Far East. Spot rates for Black Sea front hauls have also climbed over US$ 20,000 daily for the first time this month and shipowners believe there is still plenty more upside to potential go. Handysize vessels have also been faring well in the Atlantic with positive movement in rates from NCSA to the Continent moving into the US$ 15,000s on tonnage of 38-42,000 dwt. Inter-Pacific Handysizes continue to trade in the US$ 14,000s.
Greek Med:
The newfound strength of eastern 
Even with the stabilizing trends of early July having comforted owners about their summer prospects, overall cargo demand continues to wane inexorably across the European coaster trades. Week-on-week discounts have been manageable, but they are discounts nonetheless and owners could be dealing with some serious cumulative discounts by the time holiday season is through. Northbound trips from the North of Spain to Ireland are still fetching middle EUR 20s/mt of EUR 25/mt, depending on terms, though charterers have been having some success in slowly moving that range downward over the course of the month so far. Southbound trips remain comparatively more lucrative with talk of EUR 50s/mt still being fixed on the more urgent trades from SCUK to the Turkish Med. Other sources say high EUR 40s/mt are the best that an owner could hope for on this run in the current spot market. Steady-to-slumping bunker prices have not given owners any leverage in negotiations either, leaving them with little recourse but to take what the charterers are offering.
The chartering market within the Atlantic remains a mixed bag of opportunities. Baltic-Black Sea range not overly amusing whilst USG-W.Africa and, obviously, the ECSA seem the better areas to be, though a softening trend seems slowly becoming more evident. Off the Continent, Supra chars were shrugging their shoulders when they were seeing tonnage at US$ 25,000 for a quick eight-day employment from GNS to the Netherlands, for which trade realistic owns were coming up with US$ 12,500 daily. Scrap charterers were discussing 58,000 dwt at US$ 10-11,000 daily for a trip from GNS to eastern Med. Steel charterers were rating 53,000 dwt tonnage at US$ 11,000 daily for a trip to USEC. Considering this, dropping a Supramax on subs at US$ 14,500 daily for similar is only logical. Trips with clinker from the West Mediterranean to West Africa are down to US$ 13,500 daily on Ultramax tonnage. 
Capesize
Warmer conditions in the last two weeks of May helped alleviate some of the wet conditions that were plaguing French 
No safety net is evident for the 
The holding pattern continues for 
Pressure has been notable on Supramax spot freights over the past week even as trends have not been as uniformly deflationary as in other markets with average inter-Pacific rates losing around US$ 500 week-on-week. Current NoPac rounds for 58,000 dwt ships, for instance, are now trading within the high US$ 10,000s daily range in contrast to the lower US$ 11,000s as seen a week earlier during the most recent course correction. Short period deals on Ultramax vessels are still looking rather robust with 3-5 months being secured in excess of US$ 16,500 daily.
After ending last week on a bit of a down note, 
The Pacific Supramax freights have remained largely buoyant over the past week with average rates for NoPac rounds gaining some US$ 750-1,000 week-on-week to settle at rates of around US$ 10,500 with reports of as much as US$ 11,000 in negotiations in tonnage of 58,000 dwt. Indeed, backhaul rates have already been reported at this level on Ultramaxes ex-ECI back to the Continent. Indonesia rounds are also climbing back quickly compared to weeks past with upwards of US$ 14,500 daily not available on tonnage of 58,000 dwt (ex-WCI) and as much as US$ 16,000 on tonnage of 62,000 dwt. Unlike the larger Supras and Ultras, eastern Handysize rates have not increased noticeably over the past week, although they have not decreased either. This stability is what owners have come to expect and last few days have born that out. N.China delivery of 38-42,000 dwt tonnage to CJK or S.Korea is about as likely to secure about US$ 10,250 daily as it was a week earlier. Steel cargoes are being shipped on tonnage of 42,000 dwt ex-S.China to the UKC-Med at up to US$ 13,000, brokers say. Trips from the Singapore-Japan area to Southeast Asia on standard Handy tonnage are fetching mid US$ 9,000s.