MMI Daily Iron Ore Index Report April 17 2026 in Chinese iron ore and steelmaking prices 17/04/2026 Today DCE iron ore futures exhibited a firm trend, with the most active I2609 contract ultimately settling at 778.5 RMB per tonne, representing an increase of 0.39 per cent from the previous trading session. Conversely, physical spot prices experienced a decline of 3 to 5 RMB per tonne compared to the preceding day. Whilst traders actively presented their offers, steelmakers procured strictly on an as-needed basis, resulting in a scarcity of market inquiries and a largely muted overall physical transaction environment. Regarding fundamental data, the latest statistics from SMM indicate that aggregate iron ore inventories across 35 major national ports stood at 152.58 million tonnes, marking a period-on-period decline of 610,000 tonnes and reflecting a marginal destocking trend. Over the same period, the average daily port clearance volume rebounded to 3.13 million tonnes, representing a week-on-week increase of 60,000 tonnes. The modest inventory drawdown observed at the ports this week underscores the robust nature of underlying iron ore demand. Given that blast furnace operating rates remain at elevated levels, port clearance volumes are anticipated to sustain an upward trajectory in the near term, thereby providing solid downside support for iron ore valuations. Looking ahead to next week, the anticipated release of physical port inventories may temporarily augment iron ore supply, which will likely dampen upward pricing momentum. Taking these fundamental variables into comprehensive consideration, iron ore valuations are expected to predominantly maintain a range-bound, volatile trajectory over the forthcoming week. Download PDF Source: Metals Market Index (MMI) 2026-04-17 hellenicshippingnews... window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en-US'}; (function(w, d, s) { function go(){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], load = function(url, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.src = url; js.id = id; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }; load('//connect.facebook.net/en/all.js#xfbml=1', 'fbjssdk'); load('https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js', 'gplus1js'); load('//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js', 'tweetjs'); } if (w.addEventListener) { w.addEventListener("load", go, false); } else if (w.attachEvent) { w.attachEvent("onload",go); } }(window, document, 'script')); tweet Share