✂ Fed’s first rate cut since 2020: Use our free Stock Screener to find new opportunities fastExplore for FREE

China steel, iron ore fall for fourth day, have worst week since Dec

Published 24/03/2017, 07:53 pm
© Reuters.  China steel, iron ore fall for fourth day, have worst week since Dec

* Dalian iron ore down 7 pct on week, Shanghai rebar falls 5.5 pct

* Iron ore market overbought, may fall to $70-$80/T - Sucden

By Manolo Serapio Jr

MANILA, March 24 (Reuters) - Chinese steel and iron ore futures fell for a fourth day on Friday, adding to a nearly week-long selloff that led to both commodities posting their biggest weekly drop in three months.

Investors cut bets in steel and iron ore this week after recent rapid gains as ample inventories suggest demand in top consumer China is not picking up as well as had been expected.

The most-active rebar on the Shanghai Futures Exchange SRBcv1 closed down 0.4 percent at 3,140 yuan ($456) a tonne, after falling as far as 3,097 yuan, its lowest since March 9.

Iron ore on the Dalian Commodity Exchange DCIOcv1 slipped 0.6 percent to end at 580.50 yuan per tonne, having touched 567.50 yuan earlier, its weakest since March 13.

Rebar lost 5.5 percent for the week and iron ore fell 7 percent, biggest weekly drop for both contracts since December.

As futures faltered, so did spot iron ore prices which touched a six-week low on Wednesday before recovering some lost ground on Thursday.

Iron ore for delivery to China's Qingdao port .IO62-CNO=MB rose 1.6 percent to $86.36 a tonne on Thursday, according to Metal Bulletin. But the spot benchmark was still down 6.5 percent for the week, on track for its steepest such drop since November.

After rising for the past five months, spot iron ore prices were due for a retracement, analysts at Sucden Financial said in a report.

"The market is overbought and we anticipate a retracement to trade within a range of $70-$80/tonne," they said.

Iron ore stockpiles at China's major ports reached 131 million tonnes last week, the highest since at least 2004, according to SteelHome consultancy. SH-TOT-IRONINV

($1 = 6.8892 Chinese yuan)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.