Iron ore prices in the seaborne market surged on Monday April 19, supported by active trading at Chinese ports and demand from steel mills ahead of the Labor Day holiday.
Fastmarkets iron ore indices
62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $181.80 per tonne, up $3.37 per tonne
62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $182.55 per tonne, up $3.99 per tonne
58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $157.49 per tonne, up $3.91 per tonne
65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao: $216.30 per tonne, up $5.20 per tonne
62% Fe fines, fot Qingdao: 1,227 yuan per wet metric tonne (
implied 62% Fe China Port Price: $175.76 per dry tonne), up by 25 yuan per wmt
Key drivers
The most-traded September iron ore futures contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) surged in the morning before slowing into the afternoon to close up by 1.3% from Friday's closing price of 1,046 yuan ($160)...