Bears Set Tone for Coming Week

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Dry-bulk earnings season has begun, and if the early returns offer any indication, it's going to be a kind of boring third quarter.

And that's a good thing, because what have decidedly not been boring are the volatile ups and downs in the broader equities markets, driven by economic data reports that signal recovery one day and entrenched recession the next. Like everything else this week, especially commodities-related names, the shares of shipping companies have been violently whipsawed by investors.

Because dry-bulk shares are high beta, big moves in broader indices are magnified in the maritime names. Indeed, every dry-bulk stock moved in similar fashion this week, rocked by the heavy seas.

Judging by the results of our most recent survey, which asked readers of TheStreet to choose the shipper they believed would post the best quarterly numbers, no company will perform better than what we've already seen.

As usual, fan-favorite DryShips took the trophy, though somewhat narrowly, receiving some 29.5% of the vote. In second place: Diana Shipping(DSX), which reports its third quarter before the opening bell on Nov. 10. For full results and analysis, click here.

-- Written by Joseph Woelfel and Ty Wenger in New York.

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