B08 Metal Ore Mining

Iron ore’s red streak hits 11 days

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Original article by Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: Online : 14-Dec-15

The price of benchmark iron ore for immediate delivery to China’s port of Tianjin has fallen by 1.3 per cent to $US37.00 a tonne, compared with $US37.50 previously. The iron ore price has risen in just four of the last 45 trading sessions, and it has now fallen for 11 consecutive sessions. The downturn in the iron ore price has prompted BC Iron to put production at its Nullagine mine in Western Australia on hold, while Fortescue Metals Group founder Andrew Forrest has again criticised the expansion plans of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.

CORPORATES
PORT OF TIANJIN, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Rio Tinto closes in on $US4b financing deal for Oyu Tolgoi

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 14-Dec-15

Rio Tinto has declined to comment on speculation that it could finalise a funding deal for the $US6bn Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold project in Mongolia in mid-December 2015. The resources group had been widely tipped to secure the $US4bn financing deal with up to 15 banks in early 2016. Oyu Tolgoi’s annual output is slated to be 500,000 tonnes of copper and up to 600,000 ounces of gold when production reaches full capacity.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC, FREEPORT-McMORAN COPPER AND GOLD INCORPORATED, GLENCORE PLC

Price fall to test Fortescue’s bid to reduce debt

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 16 : 14-Dec-15

Australian-listed Fortescue Metals Group has repurchased some $A1.1bn of its debt so far in 2015. This includes paying $US618m for debt with a face value of $US715m in November. The iron ore producer has reduced its annual interest costs by $US88m by repurchasing its debt. Meanwhile, the downturn in the iron ore price has prompted speculation that Atlas Iron could breach its debt covenants, while BC Iron recently advised that its Nullagine mine will be shut down.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, BLOOMBERG LP

Rinehart dreams, rival falters

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Original article by Peter Ker, Julie-anne Sprague
The Age – Page: 23 : 11-Dec-15

Bulk carrier "MV Anangel Explorer" departed Port Hedland with the first shipment of iron ore from Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill project on 10 December 2015. Despite the downturn in the iron price, Roy Hill CEO Barry Fitzgerald is confident that the $A10bn project will be profitable, while executive director Tad Watroba notes that the bulk of its output will be sold via supply contacts rather than on the spot market. Meanwhile, BC Iron has advised that a review of its Nullagine iron ore mine will have no impact on its other mines.

CORPORATES
ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED, POSCO, MARUBENI CORPORATION, CHINA STEEL CORPORATION, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Iron ore resumes slide, falling to fresh record low

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Original article by
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 11-Dec-15

The price of iron ore with 62 per cent content delivered to the port of Qingdao in China has fallen by 1.4 per cent to $US38.52 per dry ton. Falling demand for iron ore in China’s steel industry is likely to put further downward pressure on the iron ore price, with a number of Chinese steel mills having closed down or scaled back production in recent months.

CORPORATES
PORT OF QINGDAO, METAL BULLETIN LIMITED, DALIAN COMMODITY EXCHANGE, PORT OF TIANJIN, THE STEEL INDEX LIMITED, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, SHANGHAI FUTURES EXCHANGE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, MARUBENI CORPORATION

On eve of triumph, Rinehart lashes out at sceptics

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Original article by Julie-anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 10-Dec-15

Bulk carrier "MV Anangel Explorer" is scheduled to leave Port Hedland with the first shipment from the Roy Hill iron ore project on 10 December 2015. Exports had initially been slated to commence by the end of the third quarter, and mining magnate Gina Rinehart has criticised the media for unduly focusing on the delays at Roy Hill rather than the project’s achievements. Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting holds a 70 per cent stake in the project.

CORPORATES
ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION, POSCO, MARUBENI CORPORATION, CHINA STEEL CORPORATION

Vale target in US suit over dam disaster

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 16 : 10-Dec-15

The American depository receipts of Brazilian miner Vale have shed 32.5 per cent since the tailings dam failure at the Samarco iron ore joint venture. Investors who bought Vale’s shares between 21 March and 30 November 2015 will be eligible to participate in a class action launched by Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman. Amongst other things, the law firm claims that Vale made false statements regarding the project. Shares in Samarco’s 50 per cent owner BHP Billiton have also been heavily sold down. It is not named in the class action.

CORPORATES
VALE SA, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, BRONSTEIN, GEWIRTZ AND GROSSMAN, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, DISTRICT COURT OF UNITED STATES. SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, BRAZIL. ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY, UNITED NATIONS, GOLDBERG AND PARTNERS INCORPORATED

Iron ore extends historic slump

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Original article by Business Spectator
The Australian – Page: Online : 10-Dec-15

The price of benchmark iron ore for immediate delivery to China’s port of Tianjin has fallen by 1.3 per cent to $US38.30 per tonne, compared with $US38.80 previously. The iron ore price has risen in just four of the last 43 trading sessions, and Gordon Johnson of Axiom Capital expects it to fall towards the $US30/tonne level in 2016. He also anticipates that the iron ore price will fall below $US30/tonne in 2017, if not earlier.

CORPORATES
PORT OF TIANJIN, AXIOM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA, ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD

BHP, Rio routed amid ore slump

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Original article by Business Spectator
The Australian – Page: Online : 9-Dec-15

The price of benchmark iron ore for immediate delivery to China’s port of Tianjin has fallen by 0.3 per cent to $US38.80 per tonne, compared with US38.90 previously. The iron ore price has fallen for eight consecutive trading sessions, while it has reached a fresh 10-year low in each of the last six trading sessions. Australian-listed iron ore producers were heavily sold down on 8 December 2015, and the bearish sentiment toward BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto has continued in overnight trading in London.

CORPORATES
PORT OF TIANJIN, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, VALE SA, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, MOUNT GIBSON IRON LIMITED – ASX MGX, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC

BHP bonuses cut by Samarco disaster

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Original article by Matt Chambers, Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 20 : 8-Dec-15

Shares in BHP Billiton have shed 23 per cent in the wake of the tailings dam failure in Brazil in early November 2015. The resources giant has responded by reducing the number of bonus shares allocated to senior executives under the 2014-15 long-term and short-term incentives scheme. CEO Andrew Mackenzie will be allocated 339,753 long-term incentive plan performance shares and 69,566 short-term incentive plan deferred shares.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA