[SMM Chrome Daily Review: Price Gains Slowed, and the Chrome Market Operated Steadily] March 23, 2026 News: Quotations for chrome ore and ferrochrome remained unchanged for the time being...

“Gold’s status as a haven may now be tarnished in the eyes of some as the precious metal is falling in price even as war roils the Middle East and financial markets alike, and some may even be tempted to say that the third major bull run in the commodity since 1971 is now over,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

[SMM Chrome Weekly Review: Steel Tender Prices Rose, and the Market Remained Temporarily Stable] March 20, 2026 News: Quotes for chrome ore and ferrochrome were unchanged for the time being...

[SMM Daily Chrome Commentary: Production Cuts and Maintenance Tightened Supply, While Elevated Costs May Have Led to Losses] March 19, 2026: Chrome ore prices continued to rise, while ferrochrome quotations remained unchanged...

According to SMM research, as of the 12th of March, total iron ore inventories across the 10 major ports surveyed stood at 118.99 million tonnes, an increase of 1.08 million tonnes compared to the previous week. Within this total, inventories of coarse fines and lump ore saw a marginal decrease, while stocks of concentrate and pellets continued to accumulate.

[SMM Daily Chrome Review: Overseas Ore Prices Continued to Rise, While the Alloy Market Temporarily Remained Stable] March 18, 2026 News: Chrome ore prices continued to rise, while ferrochrome quotations saw no adjustment for the time being...

Dalian iron ore futures were generally stronger today. The most-traded contract, I2605, eventually closed at 816.5 yuan/mt, up 1.81% from the previous trading session. Meanwhile, the spot price rose by about 5 yuan from the previous trading day. Traders were moderately active in offering quotes, while steel mills made relatively few inquiries. Overall spot market transactions were limited. The latest SMM survey showed that the impact of blast furnace maintenance on hot metal production was 1.751 million mt, down 250,000 mt WoW. This impact is expected to further decline by 229,800 mt next week to 1.522 million mt. As blast furnace maintenance intensity gradually eases, iron ore demand is expected to show signs of rebounding in the short term. Looking ahead, although current port iron ore inventory has reached 155 million mt, the overhang is mainly concentrated in certain varieties. Overall, market demand for some high-demand varieties has seen a structural shift. In particular, varieties represented by IOCJ fines and PB lumps continued to destock rapidly, while MAC fines and Indian fines saw an inventory buildup. The structural contraction on the supply side is expected to lend favorable support to iron ore fundamentals in the short term. Therefore, iron ore prices are expected to fluctuate at highs or remain relatively strong this week.

As survey conducted by SMM on the 6th of March, total iron ore inventories across 10 major ports stood at 117.91 million tonnes, representing a week-on-week decrease of 960,000 tonnes. This overall reduction was led by a slight destocking of coarse fines and lump ore, while inventories of concentrate and pellets experienced a minor accumulation.

[SMM Daily Chrome Commentary: Ore Prices Continued to Rise, While Ferrochrome Remained Temporarily Stable] March 16, 2026: Spot chrome ore prices continued to rise, while ferrochrome quotations saw no adjustment for the time being...

Lump demand will decrease this week with the end of heating season in the north.