Mid-grade fines prices made limited movements on limited trading activity but low-grade fines were heard to be popular with the mills again amid shrinking margins, trade sources said.
Fastmarkets iron ore indices
62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $115.21 per tonne, up $0.54 per tonne.
62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $115.74 per tonne, up $0.28 per tonne.
58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $107.93 per tonne, up $0.18 per tonne.
65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao: $128 per tonne, down $0.90 per tonne.
62% Fe fines, fot Qingdao: 903 yuan per wet metric tonne (
implied 62% Fe China Port Price: $122.59 per dry tonne), up by 11 yuan per wmt
Key drivers
Some steel mills were showing more interest toward low-grade fines because margins were tighter with steel product prices making limited gains and demand still weak, sources said.
"Some mills were only seeing margins at around 200 yuan per tonne or even lower," a Hong Kong-based trader said.
For instance, demand for steel...