The Baltic Dry Index is an index number for tracking the price of moving the major raw materials by sea. It is published daily, and is based on information provided by a number of different shipping firms. It is not an indicator of the market prices for any of the materials shipped, although it is often used as a barometer of global economic activity.
The index was developed in 1985 by Dow Jones as a way to track the cost of shipping containerized commodities on a number of routes. It was originally known as the Baltic Exchange Dry Index, or BDI, and was created by compiling data from the Baltic Exchange, an association of ship owners, ship brokers, charterers, ship agents and others in the maritime business in the United Kingdom.In 1990 the index was adopted by the World Shipping Council as its official shipping cost index. The name was changed to the Baltic Exchange Index, or BXI, in 1994 to reflect its global nature. The name was changed again to the Baltic Dry Index in 2004, and it is now published by IHS Fairplay in London.