Iron ore drifts sideways as solid steel outlook offsets soft China data
Updates for market close
By Gabrielle Ng
SINGAPORE, Nov 28 (Reuters) -Prices of iron ore futures flitted within a narrow range on Thursday, as traders weighed stronger prospects for China's steel market against weaker economic data from the world's top consumer.
The most-traded January iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) DCIOcv1 ended daytime trade flat at 786.5 yuan ($108.54) a metric ton, snapping a three-day winning streak.
The benchmark December iron ore SZZFZ4 on the Singapore Exchange was down 0.34% at $103.45 a ton, as of 0708 GMT.
Steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, however, gained ground. Rebar SRBcv1 and wire rod SWRcv1 strengthened about 0.4%, hot-rolled coil SHHCcv1 edged 0.26% higher, and stainless steel SHSScv1 advanced nearly 0.7%.
"The steel sector has shown signs of improvement in recent months," ANZ analysts said in a note.
"Strong exports and falling inventories have helped, while gains in steel output have continued through November."
Cumulative losses in China's steel industry shrank to 23 billion yuan in January-October from 34 billion yuan over the first nine months of the year, ANZ said, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
"Improved steel mill profits added to the improved tone, with the market focused on the Chinese Politburo meeting due early in December and the Central Economic Work Conference mid-December," Westpac analysts said.
China is both the world's top consumer and producer of the metal.
Still, the country's industrial profits extended declines in October to fall 10% year-on-year, weighed down by deflation pressures and soft demand in its weakening economy.
Fresh headwinds from higher U.S. tariffs could also threaten China's industrial sector next year, reducing export earnings.
Chinese state media on Tuesday warned U.S. President-elect Donald Trump his pledge to impose additional tariffs on China's imports could drag the world's top two economies into a mutually destructive tariff war.
Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE extended declines, with coking coal DJMcv1 and coke DCJcv1 down 0.84% and 1.79%, respectively.
($1 = 7.2465 Chinese yuan)
Reporting by Gabrielle Ng; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips
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