The Chinese seaborne iron ore market has softened into early 2026, with sentiment turning more cautious as elevated portside inventories weigh on spot activity. While imports rose during the traditional pre-lunar new year restocking cycle, the build-up in port stocks has dampened near-term buying interest and restocking has largely been completed. A key event to watch this year will be shipments of African iron ore to China. While the volumes will start small initially, they could rise substantially. Australia will remain the top supplier to China, but these new supply sources will shake the dominance Australia once ... (full story)