EC staged a surprise rally yesterday (15 July), with EC contracts surging 5–16%. This move allowed them to catch up with the strength seen in the spot market, where liners have been increasing freight rates, albeit at a slower pace than initially planned. Both EC2510 and EC2512 contracts reached their daily upper trading limit yesterday, although they retraced some of their gains today (16 July). The rally was primarily driven by a wave of fresh buying interest. Open interest rose sharply to 86
Freight futures contracts rose by 0.5–4% today amid higher volumes and increased open interest. Traders were surprised by the resilience of the spot market, which many had believed had peaked a fortnight ago. Vessel utilisation remained robust, despite weekly capacity exceeding 300,000 TEU over the past two weeks.
Freight futures in Shanghai declined across the board as buyers, having seized upon recent strength in the physical market, moved to unwind their positions. Open interest dropped to 73,658, the lowest since October 2024. Maersk swiftly raised its quote for shipments departing in the fourth week of July to $3,090 per FEU, up from $2,990 at its launch just a day earlier. Meanwhile, OOCL and ONE are cutting rates for near-term cargoes, leaving CMA CGM’s $4,745 per FEU quote for August shipments lo
Freight futures listed in Shanghai edged higher today, supported by a modest but positive movement in Maersk’s freight rate quotations. After the market closed yesterday (9 July), Maersk published a new rate of $2,990 per FEU for Shanghai to Rotterdam shipments in the fourth week of July, compared to last week’s rate of $2,980 per FEU for the third week of July. The latest quotation quickly rose to $3,000 per FEU, indicating strong buying interest at this level.
After a day of mark-to-market trading yesterday (8 July), futures participants retreated to the sidelines today (9 July), awaiting the next catalyst. Market consensus remains stubbornly bearish, with most expecting freight rates to decline. The principal concern among traders is not a sudden surge in rates, but rather that time may run out for a meaningful drop before the August contract expires. Both daily volume and open interest dropped sharply day to day today. Vessel utilisation continues
The freight futures market in China shifted from being strongly bearish at the beginning of last week to showing a clear lack of interest now. The recent uptick over the past few trading days was driven partly by reports of increasing port congestion in Europe, but was mainly the result of short sellers closing out their positions. Trading volume today dropped by 40,000 contracts for the first time since April 2024.
Benchmark contract EC2508 dropped 7%, with the bulk of the decline coming in the afternoon session. Open interest rose by 4,279 lots, pointing to heightened conviction among short sellers. This sharp fall stands in stark contrast to recent moves by shipping lines, which have lifted near-term freight rates for the first time in weeks. MSC, for example, reversed course overnight, increasing its quotation from $2,640 to $3,240 per FEU. The only bearish signal overnight was a drop in vessel utilisa
Maersk’s spot rate of $3,400 per FEU for shipments departing on July 3rd, published in the afternoon of June 17th, elicited only a muted response in the next day ( June 18th): the EC2508 contract rose by a modest 3%, amid considerable liquidation that pushed open interest below 90,000. This morning (June 19th), MSC went further by slashing its rate for June 30th departures to just $2,640 per FEU—even as it maintained a July FAK rate of $4,092 per FEU. The sharp cut for near-term shipments sent
The freight futures market opened lower today but is slowly recovering, buoyed by anticipation of Maersk’s July shipment quotation. Released at 14:30, Maersk’s rate of $3,400 per FEU is significantly below CMA CGM’s $4,645 but still $500 higher than its offer for shipments leaving end of June. Vessel utilisation has improved modestly, though it remains well below the highs seen at the same time and November last year, and January this year.
EC freight futures failed to retain the initial gains following Israel’s attack on Iran on 13 June with prices closing lower on 16 June as the market continues to assess the impact of the rising tensions in the Middle East. The prolonged closure of the Red Sea and higher fuel costs are expected to lead to keep freight rates elevated, the prospect of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could leave up to 3.4% of global container volumes stranded. Trading remained subdued throughout the past week a