Lately, the performance and expectations of dry bulk carriers has been underwhelming. Look at the container shipping market, though, and the picture is quite a bit different. Investors here have seen largely a strong run from 2009 and many of these companies throw off good dividends as well. What's more, with a different sort of leverage to global trade than the bulk carriers, they could represent a worthwhile balance in a portfolio.
Have Boat, Will Travel
Containerization was a major development in the shipping world, allowing carriers to become far more efficient in loading, carrying and unloading cargo. Better still, a container ship can carry almost anything - as long the goods fit into a standard container, it's not a problem. So whereas a dry bulk company like DryShips (Nasdaq:DRYS) or Genco (NYSE:GNK) will devote an entire ship to iron ore or grain, a containership can holds hundreds of different kinds of cargoes at the same time.
Unfortunately, it has not always been easy to trade containership stocks in the United States. Most of the major players - Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping, CMA, Evergreen - are either private or traded on foreign exchanges. But there are still a few names that investors can play, such as Paragon Shipping (Nasdaq:PRGN), Seaspan (NYSE:SSW), Euroseas (Nasdaq: ESEA) and Danaos (NYSE:DAC). Better still for many investors, the first three pay dividends and Paragon and Euroseas have rather attractive yields. (For more, see Dividend Facts You May Not Know.)
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