UK broker Clarksons’ annual rate prediction challenge has shown shipping players were too bearish about 2022.

Every year, readers of the London shop’s Shipping Intelligence Weekly are invited to submit their forecasts of the value of the cross-sector ClarkSea rate index at the start of November the following year.

Researcher Sarah Holden said: “After earnings in many shipping sectors firmed significantly in 2021, expectations a year ago were mixed.