Sydney, Jan 6, 2026, 16:58 AEDT — After-hours
- Fortescue shares were last up 1.6% after tracking a firmer tone in iron ore-linked miners.
- China iron ore futures started the year higher, supported by restocking and tight supplies.
- Traders’ next focus is Fortescue’s December-quarter production update due Jan. 22.
Fortescue Ltd shares rose on Tuesday, buoyed by a fresh lift in iron ore prices that kept demand steady for Australia’s heavyweight miners. Fortescue was last up 1.56% at A$22.84, after trading between A$22.00 and A$22.84. 1
The move matters because iron ore is Fortescue’s core earnings engine, and the raw material began 2026 on firmer footing in China. The most-traded May iron ore contract in Dalian gained 0.95% on Monday to 797 yuan a tonne, while the Singapore benchmark rose to $105.65, underpinned by mill restocking ahead of February’s Lunar New Year holiday and tight domestic supply. 2
Liquidity remains patchy after the holiday break, which can exaggerate moves in large, widely held stocks. “Markets are still in holiday mood,” said Craig Sidney, a senior investment adviser at Shaw and Partners, adding that activity typically picks up later in January; on Monday, miners rose to a record close with Fortescue and BHP up 1.6% each. 3
Fortescue sells most of its Pilbara iron ore into Asia, leaving the stock tightly tethered to Chinese steel demand and benchmark pricing. When iron ore rises, investors tend to mark up expected cashflows and dividends; when it falls, the reverse can happen quickly.
At Tuesday’s levels, Fortescue is trading near the top end of its 52-week band of A$13.18 to A$23.38. Its market capitalisation was about A$70.3 billion, placing it among the ASX’s largest resource stocks. 4
What traders watch next is straightforward: the direction of iron ore futures in Dalian and Singapore, and whether China’s restocking demand holds into late January. Any sign that steel mills have finished building inventories can cool the bid for bulk commodities and, by extension, iron ore miners.
The risk for Fortescue bulls is that the early-year support for iron ore fades faster than expected or that steel margins tighten, prompting mills to curb output. With earnings concentrated in one commodity, the stock tends to amplify swings in iron ore sentiment.
