Today, the iron ore futures market experienced volatile and slightly weaker movements. The main contract I2605 closed at 784 yuan/ton, down 0.32% from the previous trading day. Spot prices also saw a slight decline of about 1–2 yuan/ton compared to the previous day. Traders remained relatively active in offering prices, largely aligning with market trends. Steel mills, however, approached procurement cautiously, replenishing inventories based on immediate needs and exercising prudence in inquiries. Overall, market trading activity showed signs of improvement. On the fundamental data front, the latest SMM survey indicates that the blast furnace capacity utilization rate among 242 sampled steel mills stood at 86.97%, with daily molten iron production reaching 2.3562 million tons—a slight decrease of 2,100 tons compared to the previous period. Overall, rigid demand for iron ore remained largely stable. This week, pre-holiday inventory restocking by steel mills is expected to be concentrated, providing support to iron ore demand. However, given the persistently high port inventories and the ongoing ample supply situation, the fundamental landscape for iron ore conƟnues to reflect a pattern of upper resistance and lower support. In the near term, iron ore prices are anticipated to maintain a volatile and slightly weak trend.

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Source: Metals Market Index (MMI)