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Iron ore edges higher on firmer steel output, but Trump tariff pledge weighs on market

Iron ore futures ticked up on Tuesday for a 2nd straight session, buoyed by stronger international steel production, although U.S. Presidentelect Donald Trump's pledge to implement brand-new tariffs when he takes workplace minimal gains.

The most-traded January iron ore contract on China's Dalian Product Exchange (DCE) traded 0.77% higher at 786.5 yuan ($ 108.41) a metric ton, as of 0240 GMT.

The benchmark December iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 0.19% higher at $102.8 a load.

The World Steel Association revised its production information upwards on Monday to show global crude steel output in October increased 1% from a year previously, compared with a 0.4% gain reported last Friday.

In China, the world's top producer and customer of the metal, unrefined steel production climbed up 2.9% last month, newest information revealed.

On the other hand, Trump promised an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese products until Beijing stops the circulation of illegal drugs into the United States.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is now in a much more vulnerable position given the country's prolonged residential or commercial property recession, financial obligation threats and weak domestic demand.

Neither the United States nor China would win a trade war sparked by Trump's tariffs, the Chinese Embassy in Washington stated on Monday.

Iron ore markets stay extremely focused on upcoming Chinese conferences, including the Politburo meeting scheduled for early December and the Central Economic Work Conference arranged for mid-December, Westpac analysts stated in a note.

China still deals with really extreme structural headwinds to development, however at the very least, financial and financial policy settings are now more clearly injecting significant support, Westpac said in a separate note.

Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE were blended, with coking coal down 0.7% and coke up 0.44%.

The majority of steel criteria on the Shanghai Futures Exchange edged higher. Rebar acquired about 0.4%, hot-rolled coil rose practically 0.3%, wire rod reinforced about 1.2%, while stainless steel lost nearly 0.7%.

(source: Reuters)