Iron ore futures fall as China steel demand slows, virus cases rise

Iron ore futures fell sharply on Monday on concerns over China’s recovery. Data released on Monday showed China churned out a record of 92.27 million tonnes of steel. According to SteelHome data, iron ore port inventories fell to 107.75 million tonnes last week, the lowest since October 2016.   While the decline in port inventories …

The Baltic Dry Index – ray of hope or footnote in history?

COVID-19 will haunt a generation. Be it from personal loss of friends or family members, loss of employment or the loss of an investment. With nearly 8 million cases worldwide the pandemic has shown no sign of slowing down.   Global cases worldwide (source Bloomberg) Infection cases may continue to rise, creating further havoc for …

DCE flats on lower steel demand and rising shipments

Chinese futures stayed virtually flat with gains at the morning session being offset by selloff in the afternoon session. Thus, the most-actively traded iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), for September delivery, was flat at RMB 762.50 per tonne on Monday. The steel rebar contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, followed the …

Oil Through the Looking Glass 15/6/20

Continuation of the Crude Slump The week losses have extended into the new week as new virus infections hit China, Japan and the United States. This raises concerns of people in the market on the return of normal demand that had previously raised sentiment at the easing of lockdown. In the US the cutting of …

Iron Ore DCE September Daily Technical Review Jun 15th(Hourly Chart from May 18th to Jun 15th)

Verdict – Short-term neutral to bearish. DCE iron ore corrected after Friday push to five day high. The test low was supported by 756.5. 753.0 area from hourly chart supported price reversal twice over last week. A breakdown on 746.5- 753.0 area will drive iron ore price to test 20 day moving average. The breakdown …

FIS Daily Physical Review Jun 15th

Iron Ore and Steel Market Updates – Steelbank: construction steel inventories 6.95 million tonnes, down 1.87% w-o-w. HRC inventories 1.99 million tonnes, down 4.71% w-o-w. – China Statistic Bureau: crude steel output in May rose 4.2% y-o-y. Jan-May steel output rose 1.9% y-o-y. Pig iron output in May rose 2.4% y-o-y. Jan-May pig iron rose …

DCE rallies on record-low port inventory

Chinese futures closed the week on positive note after a rally at afternoon session as China’s port inventory dropped to the lowest level in four years. Thus, the most-actively traded iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), for September delivery, rose by 1.90% day-on-day to RMB 777 per tonne on Friday. The steel …

Iron Ore DCE September Daily Technical Review Jun 12th(Hourly Chart from Apr 22nd to Jun 12th)

Verdict – Short-term neutral. DCE iron ore rebounded with increasing volume and interest. However be aware of major trades are tend to be short-run. Iron ore tested low and strongly supported by 10 day moving average. The return to bull requires a breakthrough on 798.0, previous high. From hourly chart, MACD created gold cross. CCI …

FIS Daily Physical Review Jun 12th

Iron Ore and Steel Market Updates –    China 45 ports iron ore inventories at 106.97 million tonnes, down 560,000 tonnes w-o-w. Australia iron ore port inventories 61.29 million tonnes, up 780,000 tonnes w-o-w. Brazil iron ore 20.71 million tonnes, down 1.07 million tonnes w-o-w. –     Mysteel researched 247 blast furnace operation rate at 91.67%, up 0.65% …