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Iron ore slides on frustrating China information, dim near-term need outlook

Iron ore futures rates moved on Monday after a batch of economic information in top consumer China undershot expectations and as floods and heats in the country cast a shadow over the nearterm need outlook.

The most-traded September iron ore agreement on China's. Dalian Product Exchange (DCE) ended daytime trade. 1.63% lower at 813 yuan ($ 112.05) a metric load.

The benchmark July iron ore on the Singapore. Exchange slipped 2.51% to $104.8 a lot, as of 0710 GMT.

A raft of weaker-than-expected information for the home sector,. which is the largest steel consumer in China, weighed on market. sentiment, even as policymakers doubled down on efforts to. support the ailing sector and support consumer confidence.

Residential or commercial property investment in China fell 10.1% in the very first five. months of 2024 from a year earlier, after dropping 9.8% in. January-April, statistics bureau data showed. China's new home. rates fell at the fastest pace in more than 9-1/2 years in May.

This followed new bank financing in China rebounded far less. than expected in May and some essential cash determines hit record lows,. suggesting the world's second-largest economy is still. having a hard time to regain its footing.

Floods in the southern areas and heats also. stifled demand for steel products.

Other steelmaking components on the DCE also retreated,. with coking coal and coke down 0.97% and. 1.13%, respectively.

Steel criteria on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were. weaker. Rebar dipped 0.74%, hot-rolled coil. fell 0.63%, wire rod shed 1.24% and stainless-steel. dropped 0.61%.

Separately, China's unrefined steel output in May climbed up 8.1%. from the previous month and was up 2.7% from the year before,. data showed, thanks to enhanced domestic demand and robust. exports.

(source: Reuters)