The Yangtze Dry Bulk Index, compiled by Yangtze River Administration under the Ministry of Transport, declined 2 per cent in September to 805.87. One sub-category of the index, coal, slumped 5.22 per cent to 767.62. Volumes of coal transported by sea from northern China and then up the Yangtze continued to grow, but coal shipped downstream from interior provinces such as Sichuan and Guizhou was in short supply.

Demand for iron ore slowed as iron and steel producers along the Yangtze faced a government-imposed output restriction designed to cut carbon emissions. The monthly Metal Ores Index went down by 0.4 per cent to 767.62.

The Building Material Index remained unchanged at 1337.22, reflecting a balance in supply and demand, while a slight overcapacity for phosphate rock led to a decrease in shipping prices and impacted the Non-metal Ores Index by bringing it down 0.82 per cent to 999.96.

The Yangtze Container Shipping Index increased in September by 0.1 per cent to 963.53. The index for the upper reaches went up by 0.21 per cent to 1009.39, while those for for the middle and lower reaches remained unchanged at 928.86 and 920.36 respectively.