Iron ore futures easier

SINGAPORE: Iron ore futures weakened on Tuesday, surrendering gains from the previous session, as uncertainty surrounding top consumer China’s plans for fiscal stimulus weighed on the market while weaker steel margins further pressured prices.

The most-traded January iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) ended morning trade 0.64% lower at 778.5 yuan ($109.11) a metric ton. The benchmark December iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 1.06% lower at $102.35 a ton, as of 0355 GMT. Market sentiment is swinging with policy expectations, said Chinese financial information site Hexun Futures.

There is great policy uncertainty as the National People’s Congress Standing Committee is scheduled to convene in early November, coinciding with the US presidential election, added Hexun Futures. The Dalian contract hit its highest in more than a week on Monday, buoyed by renewed hopes of further fiscal stimulus from Beijing. The China Iron and Steel Association’s statement that it would propose specific policies to reshape the sector in the face of weak demand supported yesterday’s gains in steel and iron ore prices, ANZ analysts said.

Imported iron ore prices in China recorded gains on Oct. 28, fuelled by market optimism that Beijing’s upcoming meeting will see additional stimulus policies announced, said Chinese consultancy Mysteel.

Still, Chinese steel mills saw their profit margins narrow rapidly last week after domestic steel prices decreased further, Mysteel added. Many steel producers are suffering from weak margins following decades of expansion, so any consolidation should halt the industry’s heavy losses and provide some stability to raw material markets, said the ANZ analysts.

Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE retreated, with coking coal and coke down 0.58% and 0.17%, respectively. Most benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker. Rebar shed 0.61%, hot-rolled coil dropped almost 0.9%, stainless steel declined nearly 0.6%, although wire rod advanced 1.15%.