Dalian iron ore futures close slightly lower on weak China data
Updates closing prices and adds analyst quote
By Gabrielle Ng
SINGAPORE, July 31 (Reuters) -Dalian iron ore futures closed slightly lower on Wednesday after drifting in a narrow range, as market participants weighed weak economic data from top consumer China against hopes of further monetary stimulus following a key Politburo meeting.
The most-traded September iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) DCIOcv1 ended daytime trade 0.13% lower at 768 yuan ($106.28) a metric ton.
The benchmark September iron ore SZZFU4 on the Singapore Exchange, however, was 1.57% higher at $100.65 a ton, as of 0725 GMT.
Chinese leaders signalled on Tuesday that the stimulus measures needed to reach this year's economic growth target will be directed at consumers, deviating from their usual playbook of pouring funds into infrastructure projects.
The Politburo, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party, stressed that it is necessary to focus on boosting consumption to expand domestic demand, state media reported.
The government's indication of its intention to stimulate consumer spending is lending temporary support to China's industrial metals complex, as Chinese and iron bulls have been "itching" for broad-based stimulus measures following China's earlier third plenum, said Cameron Law, a commodities analyst at Navigate Commodities.
"That said, we remain highly sceptical of any long-run contributions these policies might have on a material improvement in domestic steel and iron ore consumption, due to the structural problems in China's construction and property sectors," added Law.
China's manufacturing activity in July shrank for a third month, while non-manufacturing activity expanded more slowly, pointing to job insecurity and slowing domestic demand, and reinforcing how troubling a years-long crisis in the property sector is.
Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE were mixed, with coking coal DJMcv1 up 0.03%, while coke DCJcv1 was down about 0.5%.
Most steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange traded higher. Stainless steel SHSScv1 climbed about 0.8%, wire rod SWRcv1 advanced 0.75%, while hot-rolled coil SHHCcv1 ticked down 0.26% and rebar SRBcv1 lost 0.54%.
($1 = 7.2265 Chinese yuan)
Reporting by Gabrielle Ng; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Subhranshu Sahu
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