China’s iron ore imports in June rose by 15% from the month before to a six-month high, as miners increased shipments to achieve quarterly guidance and as lower prices sparked more buying among steelmakers and traders. The world’s largest iron ore consumer imported112.69 million metric tons of the key steelmaking ingredient last month, up 6.4% from the year before and the highest since December, data from the country’s General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday. “Shipments increased last month as some miners ramped up efforts to meet quarterly guidance and as some mines boosted output,” said Qingwei Xie, an ... (full story)