Record-high iron ore prices result in lower trade volume

A total of 180,000 mt of iron ores was traded for the week ended Dec 11, down almost 80.54% week-on-week, as compared to 925,000 mt of iron ore traded last week. The week also seen iron ore prices soaring to record-high level toward $160/mt in the matter of days, which led some market experts to …

DCE closes high, just shy of the RMB 1,000/mt mark

Iron ore futures closed at high RMB 900s/mt, just shy of the coveted RMB 1,000/mt mark, after a week of speculative trading supported by good steel demand and margins. The most-traded iron on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) then rose further by 4.38% day-on-day or RMB 41.50 to 989.50/mt on Friday. The steel rebar contract …

Capesize rates recover on improving demand despite cyclone concerns

Capesize freight rates rose on better fixtures done on both basins, that lifted the recent bearish market sentiments. Thus, the Capesize 5 time charter average then hiked up by $656 day-on-day to $10,951 on Thursday, amid the recent volatility in the market. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) also went up by 3.48% or 39 points …