Iron ore futures fell on Thursday, pressured by weakening demand from China’s manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. However, stockpiling purchases ahead of the National Day holiday on October 1 helped limit the losses.
On the Singapore Exchange, October-delivery iron ore futures slipped 0.4% to $105.45 per ton as of 12:17 p.m. Mecca time. Meanwhile, on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange, January 2026 iron ore futures edged down 0.1% to 800 yuan ($112.55) per ton, according to Reuters.
Chinese brokerage Galaxy Futures noted that investments in the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors declined year-on-year in August, adding that end-user steel demand fell sharply in the third quarter, compared with a 7% increase in the first half of the year.
On the supply side, China’s raw iron ore output in August rose 8.8% year-on-year to 81.63 million tons, while Brazil – the world’s largest exporter – also increased its shipments in the third quarter.