On December 27, inventory of iron ore at 33 major Chinese ports amounted to 145.26 million mt, down 0.95 percent compared to December 20, as announced by China's Xinhua News Agency.
During the week ending December 27, import iron ore prices increased mainly amid expectations of a demand improvement. Steelmakers’ blast furnace capacity utilization rates declined slightly, though lately some steelmakers in the provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu and Guizhou have resumed production. Some mills have considered that iron ore prices are still higher than their expectations, and so they have been unwilling to conclude purchases. It is thought that import iron ore prices in the Chinese domestic market will likely edge down in the coming week.