This Morning in Metals: Iron Ore Prices Continue to Slide

Iron Ore Prices Plunge

After reaching five-year highs earlier this year, aided by supply-side disruptions in Brazil and Australia, the iron ore price has plunged this week.
The iron ore price reached around $120 per ton earlier this year, but has fallen to the $80s this week. According to Bloomberg, iron ore on the Singapore Exchange for September fell as much as 7% to $86.68 per ton, while Dalian Commodity Exchange futures fell as much as 5.1%.

EIA Releases Short-Term Energy Outlook

The EIA released its short-term energy outlook this week, predicting average monthly gasoline prices in the U.S. peaked in May at $2.86 per gallon.
The EIA estimated U.S. crude oil production in July reached 11.7 million b/d, down 0.3 million b/d from June.
Meanwhile, Brent crude spot prices averaged $64 per barrel in July, flat compared with June but down $10 per barrel from July 2019.

China Could Devalue Currency Further

Recently, the U.S. Treasury Department officially designated China a currency manipulator after China devalued its currency to levels not seen since the financial crisis.
MetalMiner’s Annual Outlook provides 2019 buying strategies for carbon steel
According to The New York Times, China could devalue its currency further. Per the report, on Thursday China’s central bank set the midpoint of the renminbi’s daily trading range above 7 to the U.S. dollar for the first time in over a decade.