Dalian iron ore futures edged higher on Monday and were set to log their first monthly rise in four months amid firm near-term demand in top consumer China, although a protracted property crisis kept gains in check. The most-traded September iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) ended morning trade 0.21% higher at 715.5 yuan ($99.87) a metric ton. The contract has gained 1.71% so far in June. The benchmark July iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 0.16% lower at $94.4 a ton, as of 0346 GMT, falling 1.3% so far this month. Hot metal output, a gauge of iron ore demand, remained firm at around ... (full story)