Seasonality Analysis of Imported Iron Ore Throughput in China's Coastal Ports

Big swings in international iron ore market have been paid widespread attention in recent years. To study its fluctuation characteristics, the seasonality of China's imported iron ore throughput (IIOT) are investigated. First, the status quo of China's IIOT in coastal ports is analyzed. The affecting factors of IIOT are discussed. Secondly, statistical data of China's IIOT is seasonally adjusted by the X-12-ARIMA method. The empirical results indicate that there exists obvious seasonality for China's IIOT. Averagely, the imported volumes are higher in March and April, but lower in August and October. Finally, some affecting factors of IIOT seasonality are discussed.