(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Iron ore's global benchmark is marking time around $104 a tonne this morning. The pause isn't random: China-the buyer that sets the tone for the entire market-is shut for its National Day“Golden Week,” so the usual price signals from Dalian and Shanghai are quiet.

With trading funneled to Singapore and OTC desks, swings are smaller and the market is content to sit in a tight $103–$105 band. The story behind the story is bargaining power.

In the days before the break, China's centralized buyer, CMRG, pressed for better terms in talks with BHP, briefly pausing new BHP cargo purchases. That didn't create a shortage, but it did cool traders' appetite to chase prices higher.

Cheaper freight reinforced the calm-capesize rates eased into the weekend-while Chinese steel mills slowed restocking and port inventories edged up. More stocks and softer steel margins make buyers patient.

Supply isn't scrambling either. Shipments from Australia and Brazil are steady, and everyone is watching Guinea's Simandou project, which partners say could start delivering as early as November. Even the possibility of new tons can keep forward prices capped while talks play out.



Technically, the market is coiled. On four-hour charts, iron ore is hugging support near $103 with momentum flat-classic low-volatility compression.
Iron Ore Holds Gains Ahead of China's Market Reopening
On daily charts, prices are still riding a months-long uptrend above roughly $101. A close above about $105.5 would invite a run toward $106–$107; slipping under $102–$101 would put the psychological $100 back in view.

For readers outside Brazil and China , a helpful compass is metals risk appetite. Silver, for instance, remains firm near year-to-date highs across major venues, a reminder that investors still want exposure to hard assets even as growth jitters linger.

What matters next comes when China reopens later this week: fresh readings on steel margins and post-holiday inventories, any update on the CMRG–BHP negotiations, and firmer guidance on Simandou's timeline.

Until then, iron ore's holding pattern makes sense-the big buyer is off the field, and the rest of the world is waiting for the whistle.

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