Today, Dalian iron ore futures fluctuated rangebound, with the most-traded contract I2509 closing at 811, down 0.55% for the day. Traders sold goods according to market conditions. Steel mills purchased as needed.

[Domestic Iron Ore Brief Review: Tangshan Region's Iron Ore Concentrates Prices May Have Some Room to Decline] This week, the prices of iron ore concentrates in the Tangshan region surged significantly. The delivery-to-factory prices (dry basis, tax included) of 66-grade iron ore concentrates increased by 40-50 yuan/mt, currently ranging from 940-950 yuan/mt. Mines and beneficiation plants are mostly operating as planned, with a moderate overall willingness to sell. Due to the relatively high price increase in the local area, a price spread has once again formed between the iron ore concentrates in this region and those in other domestic regions.

During the survey period (July 15 - July 22), driven by sentiment in the raw material sector and the positive impact of the investment in the Yarlung Zangbo River hydropower station project on future demand expectations in the industry chain, the spot price of rebar surged significantly, with the average price rising by 153 yuan/mt WoW. This week, the price of steel scrap followed suit and increased, but the rise was not as significant as that of finished steel. As a result, the profitability of electric furnace mills continued to improve, with manufacturers in east China and south China resuming production. The overall operating rate increased. Overall, the national operating rate of electric furnaces this week was 35.74%, up 1.94% WoW.

In the past two weeks, the price increase in the Hefei market, Anhui Province, has been significantly stronger than the national average. As of July 22, the mainstream price in the Hefei market was 3,350 yuan/mt, up 300 yuan/mt from the beginning of the month, while the nationwide average price was 3,314 yuan/mt, up 251 yuan/mt from the beginning of the month. Since July, the price difference between Hefei and the nationwide average has widened significantly, from -13.2 yuan/mt to 35.6 yuan/mt.

Today, Dalian iron ore futures pulled back from highs, with the most-traded contract I2509 closing at 812, down 0.61% for the day. Traders' willingness to sell was average. Steel mills purchased as needed. The market transaction sentiment weakened. In the Shandong region,

[Domestic Iron Ore Brief Review: Iron Ore Concentrates Prices in West Liaoning May Face Weakening Risks] Prices of domestically produced iron ore concentrates in west Liaoning have slightly increased by 10-20 yuan/mt. The ex-factory price for 66% grade wet-based iron ore concentrates, excluding tax, ranges from 700-710 yuan/mt. The overall rebound in the local area has been weaker than expected, with the price spread between Tangshan's iron ore concentrates and local prices widening to 50-60 yuan/mt. Currently, mines and beneficiation plants are mostly operating as planned, but there is a strong wait-and-see sentiment regarding shipments.