Brief Description
Future rates are simply a view of the valid rate prices contained in our database that extend into the future. There is no speculation involved with futures, they are simply a view of current contracts that have validity periods extending into the future. Future rates are displayed for up to three months into the future.
Additional Information
Xeneta has introduced a feature allowing users to take a glimpse at the future market rates based on the information we currently have. Using this feature means that it's possible to view the rates contracted for future dates (up to three months) from today's date.
Viewing future rates is achieved by analyzing valid rate data currently contained within our database. "Valid rates" refer to rates that have been contracted and are presently in effect. The "contracted within" selection will affect the rates used to display the future calculations. For example, selecting "contracted within three months" in the search parameters will only display future rates that have been contracted within the past three months, rates older than 90 days will not be included in the future rates calculation. A "contracted within six months" option is also available for viewing rate data that has been contracted within the past 180 days. Similarly, selecting "all contracts" will display a future calculation by including all contracts with valid rate data that falls within the next three months.
Using these various "contracted within" timeframes can be useful for comparing market development throughout different time periods, enabling you to anticipate what you might expect when negotiating by looking at rates contracted, for example, three months ago or six months ago. This can provide a picture of what the market looked like when the rate was negotiated, and potentially give an idea of where the market is moving toward.
Viewing future rates is an add-on service. If you are interested in accessing this feature, please contact your dedicates Sales Executive, or get in contact with our sales team at sales@xeneta.com
To view future rates:
- Search for your desired trade lane (if searching from the Dashboard)
- Click the "view graph" button
- On either the Trends or Benchmarks tab on the trade lane page, click the ending date on the date selector (date on the right side of the box)
- Click the button labeled "Show Futures"
- The future rates should now be displayed on the graph (note: make sure you've selected the desired "contracted within..." option, as this will affect the displayed results)
If there are not enough rates available for us to confidently display futures, the button will be disabled. In this case, changing the "contracted within..." selection to six months or "all" may produce more results. Otherwise, changing from a port-to-port search to a region-to-region search may increase results as well, as there may be additional rates available within the overall region.