Does the recovery start here? Or will April yet make a fool of those too eager to see hope?

After a first quarter of the year that history is likely to judge as one of the toughest ever in shipping markets, the deal-making optimists are already starting to appear like the first flowers of spring.

Whether it is simply human nature, or more particularly shipping’s business culture, when times are toughest there is an inevitable tendency to anticipate the rebound with enthusiasm.

On