Iron ore futures fell toward CNY 700 per ton, leaving the market close to 14-month lows as poor profitability among Chinese steelmakers continued to limit prospects for a stronger recovery in ore demand. Trade data showed China imported 108.086 million tons of iron ore and concentrates in July, down 4.09% from June but 3.5% above a year earlier, indicating that import volumes remained relatively firm despite pressure on downstream consumption. Broader macro signals also stayed soft, with slower consumer and producer inflation in China last month pointing to persistent weakness in domestic demand. On the supply side, tighter seaborne flows helped cushion the decline. Industry figures showed global iron ore shipments fell by 1.38 million tons in the week through August 9 to about 32 million tons, while arrivals at Chinese ports dropped by 13.1 million tons to 18.9 million tons.