On June 18, Vale fell 3.05% in regular trading, trading at $15.505/share, with turnover of $2.51 billion. The decline came amid broad-based weakness across the steel sector as iron ore prices continued to slide.
On the fundamental front, Singapore Exchange iron ore futures recently dropped 2.3% to $98.90/ton, breaking below the $100 mark for the first time since March. The commodity has posted five consecutive weekly declines, the longest losing streak since February. The sell-off is driven by a supply-demand imbalance: global shipments remain elevated with port inventories at high levels, while Guinea's Simandou project continues to add incremental supply. On the demand side, steel mill profits are contracting, seasonal weakness has set in, and steel inventories are building, fueling expectations of production cuts. Additionally, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran agreement has pushed shipping costs lower, removing cost-side support for iron ore.
Within the Steel and Iron sector, stocks declined broadly. ArcelorMittal fell 4.84%, Cleveland-Cliffs fell 3.58%, Nucor fell 2.1%, Reliance Steel and Aluminum fell 2.28%, and Steel Dynamics fell 1.24%.
(The above content is based on publicly available market information, generated by a program or algorithm, and is intended solely as a stock movement alert. It does not constitute investment advice or a basis for trading decisions.)
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