Chinese Regulators May Tighten Supervision After Robust Iron Ore Price Gains

Published: Jun 9, 2023 17:19
Source: SMM
SHANGHAI, Jun 9 (SMM) – The most-traded DCE 2309 iron ore contract fluctuated little for most of today, but jumped towards the end of session, closing up 3.44% at 812 yuan/mt.

SHANGHAI, Jun 9 (SMM) – The most-traded DCE 2309 iron ore contract fluctuated little for most of today, but jumped towards the end of session, closing up 3.44% at 812 yuan/mt. Traders were more enthusiastic about selling. The wait-and-see sentiment among steel mill intensified. The overall transactions were sluggish. The transaction prices of PB fines in Shandong were mainly 840-848 yuan/mt, up 5-13 yuan from yesterday, while those in Tangshan were 870 yuan/mt, up 10 yuan/mt. As of June 9, iron ore inventories across 35 Chinese ports tracked by SMM totalled 122.58 million mt, a decrease of 1.08 million mt from a week ago, but up 580,000 mt year-on-year. The daily average shipments from the 35 ports increased 102,000 mt on a weekly basis to 2.91 million mt this week. Iron ore prices kept rising this week, which triggered speculative demand and boosted purchases at ports. According to SMM data, iron ore arrivals at Chinese ports decreased by 2.16% on a weekly basis this week. Despite growing shipments by overseas mines, massive port arrivals have not yet been monitored as it takes time for shipments to arrive. As some blast furnaces may be resumed in June, the output of pig iron is estimated to rise, supporting iron ore demand. Iron ore prices are still supported by fundamentals. However, considering that recent iron ore prices have risen too fast


Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
[SMM Analysis] Molten Steel & Broken Balance Sheets: India's VSP disaster & Its Implication for Indian Steel Trade Flows
42 mins ago
[SMM Analysis] Molten Steel & Broken Balance Sheets: India's VSP disaster & Its Implication for Indian Steel Trade Flows
Read More
[SMM Analysis] Molten Steel & Broken Balance Sheets: India's VSP disaster & Its Implication for Indian Steel Trade Flows
[SMM Analysis] Molten Steel & Broken Balance Sheets: India's VSP disaster & Its Implication for Indian Steel Trade Flows
At 4:15 PM on June 8, 2026, a ladle explosion at the SMS-1 steelmaking shop of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) — operated by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) — unleashed molten metal at over 1,500°C onto the working platform below Caster-2. According to a preliminary report by India's Chief Inspector of Factories, the cause was a sudden release of gas entrapped within the liquid steel, which ruptured the ladle seal before the sliding gate was opened, triggering a catastrophic spill.
42 mins ago
[National Railway's Coal Shipments Reach 870 Million mt, January-May]
1 hour ago
[National Railway's Coal Shipments Reach 870 Million mt, January-May]
Read More
[National Railway's Coal Shipments Reach 870 Million mt, January-May]
[National Railway's Coal Shipments Reach 870 Million mt, January-May]
According to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., from January to May this year, national railways shipped a total of 1.67 billion mt of cargo, up 1.8% YoY; the daily average loaded wagons reached 186,300, up 2.8% YoY, with a record high of 202,400 wagons loaded on May 2. Data shows that from January to May, national railway-rail-water intermodal volume reached 7.58 million TEUs, up 11.0% YoY, and cumulative bookings for the "single-document" logistics product stood at 47,000 TEUs. To further improve commodity vehicle transport services, the railway authorities provided end-to-end logistics solutions. From January to May, national railways shipped a total of 824,000 export commodity vehicles, up 55.5% YoY, of which 422,000 were NEVs, up 110.3% YoY, establishing a "fast lane" for Chinese automakers to go global. In terms of ensuring the transport of key goods, from January to May, national railways shipped 48.806 million mt of grain, up 11.9% YoY. The railway authorities actively supported peak summer demand by increasing the transport of thermal coal for power supply. From January to May, national railways shipped 870 million mt of coal, of which 580 million mt was thermal coal, and coal inventories at direct-supply power plants nationwide remained at relatively high levels.
1 hour ago
[US Steel Imports Up 5.9% MoM to 1.874 Million Short Tons in April]
2 hours ago
[US Steel Imports Up 5.9% MoM to 1.874 Million Short Tons in April]
Read More
[US Steel Imports Up 5.9% MoM to 1.874 Million Short Tons in April]
[US Steel Imports Up 5.9% MoM to 1.874 Million Short Tons in April]
The American Iron and Steel Institute recently reported that the US imported a total of 1.874 million short tons of steel in April 2026, including 1.378 million short tons of finished steel, up 5.9% and 5.5% respectively from March. From January to April 2026, total US steel imports were 6.972 million short tons, down 29.5% MoM, while finished steel imports stood at 5.118 million short tons, down 30.5% MoM. The finished steel import market share in April is estimated to be 16%, and for the first four months of 2026, 15%.
2 hours ago
Chinese Regulators May Tighten Supervision After Robust Iron Ore Price Gains - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)