Prices for seaborne iron ore concentrate and pellets fell in the week ended Friday October 29 amid a narrowing of margins among steelmakers in China, sources said.
Fastmarkets iron ore indices
66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao: $137.48 per tonne, down $10.10 per tonne.
65% Fe blast furnace pellet, cfr Qingdao: $182.04 per tonne, down $9.37 per tonne.
Iron ore pellet premium over 65% Fe fines, cfr China: $47.10 per tonne, up $0.40 per tonne.
Key drivers
Sources told Fastmarkets that the Chinese steel mills' margins were rapidly decreasing, sapping their appetite for high-grade iron ore.
A trading source in Shanghai said that steel demand in China last week was still relatively weak, resulting in steel prices continuing to fluctuate downward and eroding mills' profits.
Amid the drop in buying interest, prices for both Iron Ore Carajas fines and iron ore concentrate decreased, he added.
A...