Dalian iron ore closes at lowest in more than a year on weak Chinese steel outlook
Updates closing prices and adds analyst quote
By Gabrielle Ng
SINGAPORE, Sept 4 (Reuters) -Prices of Dalian iron ore futures fell for the fourth consecutive sessionon Wednesday to close at their lowest in more than a year, as a slew of weak Chinese economic data weighed on sentiment in the top consumer's steel market.
The most-traded January iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) DCIOcv1 ended daytime trade 3.09% lower at 689.5 yuan ($96.95) a metric ton, finishing at its weakest level since Aug. 22, 2023.
The benchmark October iron ore SZZFV4 on the Singapore Exchange was 1.68% lower at $92.05 a ton, as of 0710 GMT.
"Last week's blindly optimistic and irrational sentiment rally is now being rationally unwound, as the market once again comes to terms with the realisation of terrible downstream steel demand-side fundamentals in China", said Atilla Widnell, managing director at Navigate Commodities.
Despite numerous policies aimed at stemming the downturn in house prices and corresponding losses in wealth, it looks like the market has made its peace that these measures will not directly or immediately contribute to healthier construction activity and associated steel consumption, added Widnell.
Growth in China's services sector activity slowed in August despite the summer travel peak, a private-sector survey showed on Wednesday.
The data comes on the back of slowing growth in China's new home prices, as its crisis-hit property sector struggles to find its bottom.
Immediate challenges facing China's steel sector also include the domestic business environment, a rise in protectionism globally and local policies, said ANZ analysts in a note.
Meanwhile, inventories across 45 Chinese ports rebounded to post a month-on-month gain of 3.4 million tons, said Chinese financial information site Hexun Futures.
Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE plummeted, with coking coal DJMcv1 and coke DCJcv1 down 5.21% and 4.66%, respectively.
Most steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange lost further ground. Rebar SRBcv1 lost about 2.7%, hot-rolled coil SHHCcv1 shed around 2.6%, stainless steel SHSScv1 dropped 1%, and wire rod SWRcv1 was flat.
($1 = 7.1122 Chinese yuan)
Reporting by Gabrielle Ng; Editing by Sumana Nandy
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