HTCO Leverages Upward BDI Cycle to Unleash Full Momentum for Earnings Growth

NEW YORK, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- High-Trend International Group (NASDAQ: HTCO) ("HTCO" or the "Company"), a global ocean technology company believes that a window for earnings growth has opened with the continuous rise of the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), a leading indicator of the global dry bulk shipping market. The industry's rising prosperity evidenced by sustained freight rate hikes, expanded market demand and released profit elasticity, are expected to enhance the profit potential of HTCO's core business.

The BDI is highly correlated with the operating performance of dry bulk shipping enterprises, and its upward trend directly drives up freight rates across all vessel types. Coupled with the industry's operating leverage characteristic of rigid fixed costs, the revenue increment from rising freight rates should rapidly be  converted into profit growth. Mr. Shixuan He, CEO of HTCO, stated, "The current sustained rise of the BDI has created an extremely favorable industry environment for the Company's earnings growth. With a core focus on the dry bulk shipping business, HTCO specializes in the transportation of bulk commodities, with shipping routes covering key Asia-Pacific corridors including Australia-Asia, Indonesia-Southeast Asia and Vietnam, West Africa. Aligned perfectly with the core flow of global bulk commodity trade, the Company is well-positioned to fully capture the freight rate increases brought by the BDI's upward movement and directly translate the growing market demand into incremental business revenue."

Against the backdrop of the continuous uptrend in industry freight rates, the Company believes that its operational advantages will serve as a core pillar for its earnings growth. The Company has been optimizing fleet operational efficiency, maximizing the profit margin per unit of shipping capacity by improving vessel turnover and exercising control over operating costs, which should enhance its ability to improve its profitability based on the rising freight rates. Meanwhile, backed by efficient route scheduling and customer resource integration capabilities, HTCO can quickly satisfy the newly added transportation demand in the market and further boost its market share amid the industry's boom cycle. In addition, the Company believes that its precise planning in fleet structure and route layout enables it to effectively capture the freight rate dividends from the upward movement of various vessel types, amplifying the positive driving effect of the BDI's rise on the Company's performance.

About High-Trend International Group

High-Trend International Group is a global ocean technology company with core businesses in international shipping and marine carbon neutrality.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are made under the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "future," "will," "intend," "plan," "estimate" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by these statements, including but not limited to those detailed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2025. All information in this press release is as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE High-Trend International Group