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China Jan-Feb iron ore imports jump on restocking ahead of Lunar New Year

China's iron ore imports in the first 2 months of 2024 climbed up 8.1% from the previous year as steelmakers restocked to satisfy production needs during and after the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday.

The world's largest iron ore customer generated 209.45 million metric lots of the essential steelmaking component - a record high for the two-month duration, customizeds data showed on Thursday.

The number works out to a regular monthly average of 104.73 million tons, versus a regular monthly average of 98.39 million tons in 2023.

That compares to 100.86 million heaps imported in December.

China integrates import information for January and February into one release to smooth out the effect of the Lunar New Year holidays, which fell in February this year.

Better-than-expected supply in a generally slow-shipment season and an extra day in February due to the leap year helped the annual increase in imports, analysts said.

Reservations in November and December for shipments that would arrive in January-February were robust as buyers were fretted that iron ore prices which were increasing at the time could climb up further, experts stated.

Purchasers also expected ore demand to get after the holiday break due to seasonally stronger steel usage in spring.

The higher imports have added to a rate downturn and rising portside stocks in the January-February duration, according to experts.

Iron ore rates tumbled by 19% throughout the 2 months, while stocks at major ports climbed up by more than 16% to 134.9 million loads by end-February, the greatest because March 2023, information from consultancy Steelhome showed.

If hot metal output continues to hover at reasonably low levels in the coming months, iron ore imports might fall, said Xu Xiangchun, director of material at consultancy Mysteel, referring to the slower-than-expected healing in ore demand after the Lunar New Year holiday.

China's exports of steel items grew 32.6% to 15.91 million loads in the first two months of the year compared to the exact same period a year previously, the highest level for the duration because 2016, the data likewise revealed.

China's imports of steel products dropped 8.1% to 1.13 million lots.

(source: Reuters)