BEIJING, May 11 (Reuters) - Chinese iron ore futures jumped
more than 5% on Wednesday, after falling for three straight
sessions, as hopes of demand recovery at mills rose, even as
COVID-19-led lockdowns in the country disrupted economic
activity.
The most-active iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity
Exchange, for September delivery, surged 6.6% to 831
($123.72) yuan a tonne the biggest percentage gain since March
7. The contract closed up 5.3% at 821 yuan per tonne.
On the Singapore exchange, the most-traded June iron ore
contract gained 4.3% to $131.85 per tonne.
"The (pandemic's) impact on areas such as Tangshan is
easing, and raw materials' transportation has resumed," analysts
with Haitong Futures said in a note, adding that daily molten
iron output recovered from previous weeks.
However, profits at mills are relatively low and steel
production controls may still weigh on mills' utilisation rates,
said the note.
China's producer price index rose 8% year-on-year in April,
the slowest pace in a year, data from the National Bureau of
Statistics showed, giving policymakers headroom for more
stimulus to shore up a flagging economy.
Coking coal prices on the Dalian bourse ended up 2%
to 2,663 yuan a tonne and coke futures increased 2.3%
to 3,418 yuan per tonne.
The jump in raw material prices also drove steel products on
the Shanghai Futures Exchange.
Construction material steel rebar for October
delivery advanced 2% to 4,681 yuan a tonne. Hot rolled coils
, used in the manufacturing sector, added 1.9% to 4,775
yuan per tonne.
China's top listed steel producer Baoshan Iron & Steel
said on Tuesday it would cut June delivery prices
for hot rolled and cold rolled products by 100 yuan per tonne.
Shanghai stainless steel was up 2% at 19,055 yuan
a tonne at close.
($1 = 6.7164 Chinese yuan)
(Reporting by Min Zhang in Beijing and Enrico Dela Cruz in
Manila; editing by Uttaresh.V)