WEEKLY: China mills' imported iron ore stocks accumulate further

Inventories of imported iron ore sintering fines held by Chinese blast-furnace (BF) steelmakers climbed further during the past week, signifying more widespread restocking moves among steel mills ahead of the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday.

By January 21, total stocks of imported iron ore sintering fines at the 64 Chinese BF steel producers under Mysteel's tracking rose by a substantial 1.1 million tonnes or 8% on week to 14.1 million tonnes, refreshing a three-month high. The notable increase mainly reflected the active stockpiling of the