SHIPPING: Confidence holds steady, says Moore Stephens

The average confidence level expressed by respondents to the Moore Stephens Shipping Confidence Survey for the quarter ended February 2017 was unchanged at 5.6 out of 10.0. The likelihood of respondents making a major investment over the next year was 4.9 out of 10.0.

 
Demand trends were expected to influence performance most significantly over the coming year, while 54% of respondents expected finance costs to increase. There was a fall in the numbers anticipating higher tanker freight rates, but an increase in the level of such expectations in the dry bulk and container ship sectors.
Meanwhile, 38% of respondents (compared to 19% in February 2016) predicted that the price of crude oil would be between $50 and $59 in 12 months’ time.
Read the full survey report at: www.moorestephens.co.uk/shipping-transport