9 May 2020 According to industry sources, NMDC has sharply reduced prices for iron ore fines and lumps by INR400/t (~17%) starting 9 May20. volumes declined 49% YoY to 1.38mt amid weak demand, which has led to the company cutting prices for both fines and lumps by INR400/t (~17%). Thus, prices of NMDCs iron ore fines/lumps now stand at INR1,960/INR2,250 per ton. We believe iron ore prices would remain subdued in 1HFY21 due to weak demand as most steel plants are operating at lower utilizations. As a result, we have factored in an increase of INR350/t (~15%) for 2HFY21, implying ~10% higher prices in FY21E over current prices. Most secondary steel producers resumed operations in May20 and large steel players have also indicated higher utilizations for the month. As a result, we expect lower volume decline in May-Jun20 and factor in decline of ~35% YoY for 1QFY21.