On December 20, inventory of iron ore at 33 major Chinese ports amounted to 146.65 million mt, up 0.99 percent compared to December 13, as announced by China's Xinhua News Agency.
During the given week, import iron ore prices increased sharply. Steelmakers’ blast furnaces’ capacity utilization rates rose slightly, which bolstered iron ore prices. The financial tightness in the real estate market eased to some extent, which also exerted a positive impact on import iron ore prices and steel prices in the local market. However, since commodity prices have indicated big changes recently, market players will need to pay close attention to potential risks.