Steel Market Update 

Advisory Bazaar Info Services

• Dalian iron ore fell 0.46% to 759.5 yuan ($107.65/ton), marking the second consecutive weekly decline.

• Demand weakness in China and rising port inventories kept prices under pressure.

• On the Singapore Exchange, January iron ore futures rose slightly by 0.45% to $101.9/ton, showing mild recovery.

• Both Dalian and Singapore benchmarks are down about 1% for the week.

• Cold weather has slowed construction activity, leading to seasonally weak steel demand.

• Daily hot metal output dropped 1.3% to a three-month low of 2.29 million tons.

• Port inventories rose 0.9% to 154.31 million tons — the highest in nearly three months.

• China’s proactive fiscal policy provided some support against further downside.

• The government continues targeted measures to revive demand in the weak property sector.

• Coking coal fell 2.68% and coke declined 1.84%.

• On the Shanghai Futures Exchange, rebar closed 0.68% lower and HRC dropped 0.77%.

Conclusion

Iron ore and steel prices remain under pressure due to weak seasonal demand, high inventory levels, and cold weather conditions. However, China’s fiscal stimulus measures may offer limited short-term support.