Statistics from the Yangtze River Administration show that the Yangtze dry bulk index stood at 797.4 at the end of July, 0.6 per cent down on end-June. Demand for coal went up slightly due to seasonal changes, causing the Yangtze coal index to rise nearly three per cent over June to 660.2. The Yangtze iron ore index declined by 1.12 per cent over the previous month to 833.96 as a result of falling demand for the transportation of iron ore. However, the biggest fall was in the Yangtze building materials index, which slid 5.11 per cent to 1,165.97. The index for non-metallic ores also fell by 3.79 per cent to 907.92.

The Yangtze container index in July remained almost flat in comparison with the previous month, down just 0.45 per cent to 925.37.