Iron ore price, steel price and futures published daily
The contemporary seaborne iron ore price first emerged in 2003 when the Chinese development model shifted up a gear. Indian suppliers broke free of an annual contract pricing system that had been dominated by Australia, Brazil and Japan for decades.
As Chinese demand surged, traditional supply and pricing mechanisms could not keep pace. Indian miners in Goa and Karnataka had surplus supply and filled China’s marginal new needs outside the old benchmarking system.
But it still wasn’t enough and other non-traditional suppliers began to emerge in South America and Africa. These needed more dynamic pricing mechanisms and by 2008 Platts, Metal Bulletin and The Steel Index were publishing a daily iron ore price.
As the Chinese demand surge continued, by 2007, major Australian iron ore miners were charging enormous premiums to prices from five years earlier. The annual benchmarking system began to strain to the point breaking, including significant diplomatic tensions between Australia and China. This culminated in a proposed merger of BHP and RIO Tinto which triggered panic in Beijing as it feared an already supply-constrained market and soaring iron ore price would by made worse by monopoly pricing. The Chinese SOE, Chinalco, moved the buy a blocking stake in RIO Tinto.
However, the GFC intervened and deflated tensions as Chinese demand collapsed. But Chinese steel mills found themselves still tied to very high prices and an annual iron ore price benchmark that did not reflect the new reality. Many defaulted on cargoes and walked away from deals.
To fight the downturn, China unleashed an enormous fiscal and monetary stimulus that soon had China building more than ever. The demand for iron ore rocketed to all new highs. With the memory of contract defaults fresh in their minds, major Australian miners, led by BHP and CEO Marius Kloppers, abandoned the annual benchmarks, forcing Chinese steel mills to adopt a short term iron ore price using spot and quarterly contracts. Brazil joined in in 2010.
The spot iron ore price soared to all new highs and triggered a global wave of new supply from producers such as Fortescue Metals Group, Ferrexpo, Kumba Iron Ore, Anglo American and Sino Iron.
With the rise of the short term iron ore price market, iron ore derivative markets grew. First in the Singapore on the SGX and later in China as the Dalian Commodities Exchange and the United States at Chicago Commodities Exchange (CME). Iron ore derivatives could hedge and future price iron ore output.
These last developments coincided with the peak in the China boom and prices began to fall from 2012. After peaking above $190 per tonne, the iron ore price collapsed into the $30s in 2015 as new supply outstripped demand.
Ahead were still many years of oversupply, a lower iron ore price, consolidation and mine closures.
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The iron ore complex surged on Thursday, bringing prices to new highs as demand for iron ore remains high in the Middle Kingdom: Spot prices exceeding $170USD per ton while coking coal and rebar advanced nearly 2%. The lifting of a two year ban on imported scrap steel into China last week are considered “symbolic
Iron ore prices continued to surge yesterday, despite some hesitation on futures markets as concerns over current iron ore supply weighed on the complex. Here are the latest prices, with rebar and coking coal dropping slightly: Seaborne volumes are in a slight decline: After a two-week rise, iron ore volumes dispatched from 19 ports and
The iron ore complex continued to rise on speculation yesterday, with spot prices lifting well above $160USD per ton, while Dalian futures continued to put on gains, despite the latest five year plan from Beijing supposedly putting a dampener on steel demand. Here’s the latest prices and charts: Trading Economics reckon there will finally be
The iron ore complex is taking it a little more easy into the new calendar year with seaborne prices and Dalian futures lifting on Monday, as firm demand in steel and positive sentiment after the New Year holiday continued: The Chinese are starting to get real about diversifying away from near total reliance on Australian
The New Year is here and the speculative fest that is the iron ore complex continues to deliver, although the Tianjin spot price did waver over the Christmas break, falling more than 3% to be at its lowest since mid December: It has to be remembered that the most active iron ore futures on the
Iron ore prices continued to retract across Chinese exchanges on Wednesday, with Dalian futures hit the hardest – down nearly 10% at one point: The Dalian market regulator is thinkning about cutting position limits by more than half in the wake of the increased speculation, but this may not be enough as demand continues to
The iron ore complex finally took a deep breath yesterday, with prices tumbling across Chinese markets, as the Dalian exchange in particular listening to some steelmaker concerns that speculators are “ruining” (sic) prices. Spot iron ore was off by nearly 6% while futures fell back more than 3%: S&PGlobal were quick to share their view
You can’t stop the iron ore juggernaut with spot Tianjin prices up nearly 8% while Dalian iron ore futures jumped nearly 10% as rebar futures also soared upwards on Monday trade: This is supposedly due to the Friday news of another landslide at a Vale mine in Brazil, which resulted in the death of one
Iron ore prices for December 18, 2020: Spot to the moon with more to come. Paper is wild. The steel market is now being forced to absorb the inflation which is even more bullish. $200 ahead is still quite realistic.
Iron ore prices for December 17, 2020: Spot is going to new highs today after paper blasted off last night. Steel is still rising so some inflation is being passed on. There is no near term end to this: Chinese demand is excellent; Chinese inventories are short; ex-China demand is recovering; DXY is getting hammered;
That’s the question that has plagued me for ten years. Via James White of Lessep Investment Management, at the AFR: If China’s annual residential property sold was built in Eureka Towers (14,000 of them) and one constructed every 65 metres, it would line the Hume Highway from Sydney to Melbourne. In terms of population, 14,000
Via Goldman: Growth to feel the weight of policy normalization in 2021While the near-term growth picture looks encouraging, tightening is clearly the direction of travel when it comes to policy. To be clear, we expect stable policy rates and no hikes in OMO or MLF rates next year. This is because interest rates have mostly
Iron ore prices for December 16, 2020: Spot up. Paper eased overnight. Steel went pop after China’s impressive data dump. No change for me. Higher yet into Q2 next year.
Iron ore prices for December 15, 2020: Spot up. Dalian paper up to a new record high. Steel is stuck. Port inventories have started to fall as Chinese mills desperately seek to fend off prices. If it continues, this will only prolong their pain, but it does weigh on prices at the margin. Yet not
Iron ore prices for December 14, 2020: Spot flamed out. Paper too. Steel has not updated. Yesterday’s outburst in Beijing about unfair trade practices managed a little correction. But, fear not, such tantrums are typical for this time in the cycle. Beijing and CISA have been spitting the dummy during price spikes like this for
A sensible suggestion from Matt Canavan: We should apply a levy on exports of iron ore to China. The funds raised can be used to compensate the Australian industries harmed by China’s actions. Our exports of iron ore to China amount to $85bn a year. So even just a 1 per cent levy would raise
Iron ore prices for December 11, 2020: Spot up again. Paper as well. Steel has not updated. Records are tumbling. As iron ore roars higher: It is only $7 below its all-time AUD high: As Dalain futures hit their all-time high: China is not happy, whinging like a stuck pig: China’s steel industry body has
Iron ore prices for 10 December 2020: The news flow is relentlessly bullish. La Nina fears are realised, at Reuters: Pilbara Ports Authority said on Thursday it has started to clear large vessels out of Port Hedland, the world’s biggest iron ore export hub, as it issued a cyclone warning. A tropical low located some
Iron ore prices for December 9, 2020: Spot goes up no matter what. Paper is on fire again. Steel is stuck and margins are collapsing. Never underestimate the iron ore market’s ability to move far and fast. Few markets are so pure in terms of price responsiveness to supply and demand shifts. Right now we
Via Sinocism: As China-Australia Ties Worsen, Iron Ore Remains Bulletproof – Bloomberg China has few alternatives as it seeks to stimulate its economy post Covid-19 through infrastructure investment, with Australia accounting for more than half of iron ore shipments globally. If Beijing were to try to purchase solely from non-Australian producers, at best it could
Iron ore prices for December 8, 2020: Spot at new highs. Paper flamed out. Steel ahs not updated. Some explanation of recent price strength from Robert Rennie: Our bulk shipping activity models point to surprisingly weak November iron ore exports at 70mt, down from 76mt in October. Given the strength of Chinese iron ore imports
Iron ore prices for December 7, 2020: Spot booming. Paper too. Steel stalled with margins for mills getting crushed. Brazilian November exports fell to 31mt: I don’t know what Vale is doing. It’s supposed to be increasing volumes. Chinese imports were down in November too: Still bullish on prices for the next six months.
Take that Beijing! Iron ore prices for December 5, 2020: Spot to the moon. Paper rolled forward. Steel is not keeping pace and output is steadily diminishing as the year winds down. Steel inventories have been easing and port stocks have stopped climbing but neither of those explain this. Supply may not be abundant but
Iron ore prices for December 3, 2020: The red hot rally continued overnight. Steel is not going with it which is a standing warning. Another is this little snippet from Reuters: Brazil’s Vale trimmed its 2020 output guidance to 300 million to 305 million tonnes, from a previous target of at least 310 million tonnes.
Via the ABS: Key statistics The seasonally adjusted balance on goods and services surplus increased $1,641m to $7,456m in October. Exports of goods and services rose $1,819m (5%) to $35,720m. Imports of goods and services rose $178m (1%) to $28,264m. Main features Key figures, Seasonally adjusted Aug-20 ($m) Sep-20 ($m) Oct-20 ($m) Change Sep-20 – Oct-20 ($m) Change Sep-20 –
This idea has been around for a while but perhaps its time has come. From The Glass Pyramid: Over the last few weeks the airwaves have been buzzing about the falling national income (and the problems for Mr Hockey’s budget) due to the rapid decline in the price of iron ore and Twiggy Forrest’s calls for restraint
Iron ore prices for December 2, 2020: Spot out of control now. Anything is possible when this kind of hoarding cycle happens. The Chinese iron ore inventory build has paused at 130mt. The ongoing hoarding is the number one support to prices over the next six months, adding some 80mt per annum to apparent demand:
Iron ore prices for December 1, 2020: How high are we going here? Supply should be flowing from Brazil yet here we are rising again to new highs. Chinese steel and iron ore inventories have stopped rising as well so we are pushing out the timetable for the end of the restock. It’s the norm
Iron ore prices for November 30, 2020: Spot up. Paper down. The steel PMI has firmed though remains remarkably weak given steel ouput: No change from me. Strong pricing through Q1, 2021 then down.
Iron ore prices for November 27, 2020: Spot hit a six-year high. Paper is lagging. Steel has not updated. Empties have stabilised again: I wouldn’t expect us to get much higher but it’s quite possible. Especially if we see some Q1 supply disruptions with La Nina. No change from me. Strong pricing through Q1 then
