India, Sept. 9 -- Iron ore security has quietly become one of the biggest swing factors for India's mid-sized steel producers, most of whom don't own captive mines and depend entirely on miners like NMDC for their raw material. With steel demand climbing steadily on infrastructure and construction spending, securing a stable, quality-assured ore supply has turned into as much of a strategic priority as capacity expansion itself. It's against this backdrop that Steel Exchange India's latest move with NMDC takes on more significance than a routine sourcing update.

Shares of Steel Exchange India Ltd. were trading at Rs. 12.03, up 4.34 percent from previous close of Rs. 11.53. The stock opened at Rs. 11.61, reaching an intraday high of Rs. ...