Iron ore gloom sends China benchmark price to 1-year low

The most-traded iron ore for January delivery on the Dalian Commodity Exchange slumped as much as 4.6% to 514 yuan ($80.62) a tonne, falling for a fifth consecutive session to its lowest level since Nov. 9, 2020.

On the Singapore Exchange, iron ore's front-month December contract dropped 2.9% to $86.20 a tonne.

"The price of iron ore has not yet bottomed out," analysts at Zhongzhou Futures Co Ltd wrote in a weekly note, citing continuing steel production curbs in China in line with its decarbonisation goals and the turmoil in the country's property sector.

Iron ore on course for fifth weekly fall

"The profit of some steel mills turned negative, and the steel mills switched from administrative restriction of production to active maintenance," they said.

China's monthly steel production has been falling since July after seeing a double-digit growth in the first half of the year, as strict output controls and curbs on power usage dented both supply and demand.

The country's crude steel output in January-October totalled 877.05 million tonnes, down 0.7% on an annual basis.