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The World Container Index (WCI) assessed by Drewry and produced in partnership with Cleartrade Exchange, the global electronic marketplace for freight and commodity derivatives, announced today that the sample of indices, offered through their website, is seeing impressive levels of interest.
On 1st September WCI invited industry participants to sign up via their website to see a sample of the index data. This sample incorporates three of the eleven shipping routes which the indices cover. Its unique selling point is its independence within the market. This has shown to be an attractive proposition as in just under a week since its launch, the website has received over 1000 visits, leading to more than 500 sign-ups, which is very significant given the highly specialist nature of the content and industry sector.
“We have been very encouraged by the response we have seen in the first few days after our launch,” commented Richard Heath of WCI. He continued, “A few organisations within the market have been openly critical of freight rate indices and the growth of container freight derivatives. However, the sheer level of interest and the number of enquires we have had for more information, clearly demonstrates that while some may be against this type of initiative a great many more have an appetite for these new tools and are ready to start embracing the benefits which they can offer.”
Richard Baker, CEO of Cleartrade Exchange, commented, “For some time market practitioners have wanted a viable and relevant set of indices and related tools. The speed of take-up within days of the launch is a clear confirmation WCI has launched with the right products at the right time.”
In addition to the requests to access the WCI index, many organisations have expressed an interest in contributing their own price data, as they have quickly realised the added value in reporting their experiences of the market, making the index even more valuable and relevant to their businesses.
