BEIJING- Iron ore futures prices extended their decline to a fifth straight session on Wednesday, pressured by faltering steel demand and expectations of high shipments to top consumer China in June.
The most-traded September iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) traded 1.37 percent lower at 829 yuan ($114.43) a metric ton.
The benchmark July iron ore on the Singapore Exchange fell 0.56 percent to $107.05 a ton.
“Focus has shifted back to weak fundamentals from stimulus-driven expectations of demand picking up; supply will likely maintain high in June while there is limited upside room for demand,” said Cheng Peng, a Beijing-based analyst at Sinosteel Futures.
The consumption of steelmaking ingredients shrank along with falling hot metal output, while portside stocks continued to pile up, putting ore prices under downward pressure, analysts at Huatai Futures said in a note.
“But some steel mills may return to stockpile cargoes to meet production needs over the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival following persistent price falls, which may limit price loss,” Sinosteel’s Cheng added.
The Chinese futures market will be closed on June 10 for the holiday.
