End of the Affair as Chinese Commodity Traders Exit Market
- Combined commodities trading volumes decline to six-month low
- Economic concern seen keeping investors away from materials
An iron ore stock yard in Tianjin. Aggregate volumes across the nation’s three biggest exchanges have shrunk to the lowest level in six months, a shadow of the fevered trading in March and April when retail investors charged into markets for everything from iron ore to cotton.
Photographer: ChinaFotoPress/Getty ImagesChinese traders are falling out of love with commodities.
Aggregate volumes across the nation’s three biggest exchanges have shrunk to the lowest level in six months, a shadow of the fevered trading in March and April when retail investors charged into markets for everything from iron ore to cotton, driving up prices and stoking fears of a bubble. Chinese authorities brought an end to the frenzy by introducing curbs on excessive speculation and trading has failed to recover since.