The Lloyd’s List traditional mid-year health check on shipping’s core sectors highlighted a few underlying conditions in box and bulk but found tankers feeling much better after a period of prolonged depression. Join our resident specialists for a thorough examination of all that ails the maritime markets this week.

Our traditional mid-year health check on shipping’s core sectors has flagged a few underlying health conditions that are in need of treatment.

Inflationary pressures, the eurozone's tepid consumer recovery, flatlining real incomes in the UK, and a potential recession in the US are all weighing heavily on consumer spending and therefore demand in advanced economies.

In dry bulk, China reopened with a whimper, not a bang.

But the dry bulk sector, unlike their peers in containers who lack the same self-control, have been looking after themselves and have avoided indulging in over ordering – so they are to some extent managing their condition.

Tankers are a different story. After a long bout of depression, the drugs have finally kicked in and they are feeling much more optimistic, possibly even borderline manic, which is something we’re going to have to keep a close eye on.

The cash is rolling in as the Russia-led dislocation and recalibration of global oil trades aligns with the lowest fleet-to-orderbook ratio in a generation.

On this week’s podcast we are taking the core shipping markets through their mid-year year health check with the help of Lloyd’s List’s dedicated team of specialists.