Cautious Market Sentiment; Iron Ore Prices Fluctuated Rangebound [SMM Brief Review]

Published: Mar 19, 2026 17:46

Save

Dalian iron ore futures remained in the doldrums today. The most-traded contract, I2605, finally closed at 807.5 yuan/mt, down 0.55% from the previous trading day. Spot prices saw limited transactions, falling by about 2-5 yuan from the previous trading day. Traders offered quotes in line with the market, while steel mills remained cautious and on the sidelines, with some purchasing as needed.
According to the SMM survey, as of March 19, total inventory across the 10 ports tracked by SMM stood at 119.62 million mt, up 630,000 mt MoM. Inventory trends diverged among mainstream products, with notable destocking in IOCJ fines and Newman fines. Inventory of Jimblebar fines also declined slightly. In addition, inventory of PB fines and Mac fines increased slightly. In the short term, improved fundamental demand for iron ore provided support to futures prices. However, close attention should be paid to tomorrow's long-term contract negotiations and the impact of the Middle East conflict, both of which could have a significant effect on iron ore prices.

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 to learn 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

54 mins ago

5.8 SMM Global Steel Daily Report

[EU] European HRC buyers largely paused new bookings while waiting for clearer details on the EU’s upcoming import quota allocation system. Transactions in Northern Europe were reported at €670-690/t ex-works for July-August delivery, while Italian domestic offers remained around €700/t delivered. Downstream demand stayed weak amid high inventories across ports and supply chains. Import offers remained limited and mostly uncompetitive as Asian mills resumed operations with higher prices, narrowing the gap between domestic EU prices and import costs after including CBAM expenses.

54 mins ago

55 mins ago

Forecast for Next Week: Ferrous Metals Expected to Fluctuate at Highs in the Short Term [SMM Steel Industry Chain Weekly Report]

After the holiday, ferrous metals opened higher, but subsequent trends diverged—steel products and iron ore fluctuated at highs, while coke surged before pulling back. The strong rally during the week was mainly driven by disturbances outside China. During the holiday, the US-Iran standoff escalated with widening negotiation gaps, pushing raw materials to lead the gains in ferrous metals. Combined with capital inflows after the holiday, this provided a clear upward drive for prices. In the latter half of the week, market rumors suggested that Iran and the US had reached a consensus on easing the US naval blockade in exchange for the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and bears increased their positions in coke. Data on the five major steel products were released, showing weakness in both supply and demand, with inventory not accumulating after the holiday. On the spot market side, traders had a strong willingness to hold prices firm, and purchases were made in both futures and spot cargo at low price levels...

55 mins ago

[SMM Zhangjiagang HRC Inventory] Zhangjiagang Inventory Declined WoW This Week

Zhangjiagang HRC port inventories stood at 316,000 mt this week, down 5,000 mt WoW, a decline of 1.56%; the YoY decline was 19.80% on a solar calendar basis and 22.93% on a lunar calendar basis.

55 mins ago