B08 Metal Ore Mining

Flu or no, Fortescue eyes export record

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 31-Jan-20

Fortescue Metals Group’s iron ore shipments from the Pilbara topped 88.6 million tonnes in the first half of 2019-20. A similar performance in the second half would see the group beat its previous full-year record of 170.4 million tonnes. CEO Elizabeth Gaines says the pure-play miner has not yet received any requests from steelmakers in Hubei to delay shipments, despite the temporary closure of the province’s ports due to the coronavirus outbreak.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Drought to hit Newcrest mine

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 20 : 31-Jan-20

Newcrest Mining has advised that it produced 551,000 ounces of gold in the December quarter, which is eight per cent higher than previously. Its all-in-sustaining cost of production fell by $US40 an ounce to $US859. Newcrest’s flagship Cadia mine in New South Wales produced 239,722 ounces of gold and 26,478 tonnes of copper during the quarter. However, Newcrest has warned that the declining water supply at Cadia means that production cuts may be necessary before the end of the year if the drought persists.

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM

Miners to bear the brunt of China woes

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 25 : 29-Jan-20

The coronavirus crisis has weighed on the shares of Australian resources groups that have exposure to China. Shares in Rio Tinto have closed below $100 for the first time since mid-December, while BHP, Fortescue Metals Group, OZ Minerals and Sandfire Resources also retreated on 28 January. The prices of iron ore and base metals have also fallen in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Macquarie notes that based on the SARS pandemic, base metal prices may take 3-5 months to recover from their recent losses.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, SANDFIRE RESOURCES NL – ASX SFR, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

BHP facing fresh coal safety probe over 2018 fatality

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 29-Jan-20

Queensland’s Department of Natural Resources, Mines & Energy has filed criminal charges against BHP and Mitsubishi over the death of a worker at the Saraji coal mine in December 2018. The case, which will be heard by the industrial magistrates’ court, will allege that safety breaches may have contributed to the man’s death when his bulldozer fell into a pool of water. The Department has confirmed that it is investigating a similar incident at the Peak Downs mine in mid-2018, in which a dozer driver escaped serious injury.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, MINES AND ENERGY

Rio mining big data, AI to bleed desperate suppliers

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Original article by Jared Lynch, Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 15 & 18 : 28-Jan-20

Rio Tinto has stressed that it is committed to 30-day payment terms for its suppliers, following reports that it is offering to pay invoices before the due date in exchange for a discount of up to two per cent. The so-called ‘dynamic discounting’ scheme is generating significant cost savings for Rio Tinto, but it has attracted criticism from Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell and Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan. Rio Tinto is also said to be using big data and artificial intelligence technology to determine how much of a discount a supplier is prepared to accept.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Brazil struggles may prolong iron ore boom

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 24-Jan-20

Brazilian miner Vale will release a market update on 11 February, but several sources have suggested that its iron ore exports so far in January are significantly lower than previously. Vale had flagged lower shipments in the first quarter of 2020, although it has advised that export volumes would rise later in the year. Nevertheless, lower exports from Brazil could see the price of iron ore remain high in the near-term, which would boost the earnings of Australian producers and federal government revenue.

CORPORATES
VALE SA, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

It’s not just Forrest making a killing from Fortescue

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Original article by Julie-anne Sprague, Robert Guy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 16 : 23-Jan-20

Fortescue Metals Group’s share price rose to a new record high of $12.69 on 22 January, extending the stock’s gain in the year-to-date to 18.7 per cent. The rally has seen the stake of founder and chairman Andrew Forrest rise to around $13.9bn; when his other investments are taken into account, Forrest’s estimated wealth is now about $15.9bn. Other Fortescue executives with an equity interest in the pure-play iron ore miner have also benefited from the stock’s rise, including CEO Elizabeth Gaines and deputy CEO Julie Shuttleworth.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Henry sharpens BHP’s iron will

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 15 & 20 : 22-Jan-20

BHP still expects its 2019-20 iron ore production in the Pilbara to be within the range of 273 to 286 million tonnes, after reporting output of 137 million tonnes for the first half. This suggests that production in the second half could be up to 149 million tonnes. BHP received an average of $US78.30 per tonne for iron ore in the first half, which is 41 per cent higher than previously. Meanwhile, BHP has advised that production at its Mount Arthur coal mine in New South Wales was affected by the drought and bushfires during the first half.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Share surge elevates Forrest to $13bn man

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian – Page: 15 & 16 : 21-Jan-20

Shares in pure-play iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group have gained more than 10 per cent so far in 2020, reaching a new intra-day high of $11.92 on 20 January. The rally has lifted Fortescue’s market capitalisation to more than $36bn, and it now ranks as Australia’s 13th largest company in terms of market cap. The stake of founder Andrew Forrest is now worth about $13bn, while his net wealth has increased by about $1bn since the start of the year and $7bn since March.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

EMR plots production boost

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 16-Jan-20

A consortium headed by private equity firm EMR Capital has acquired the Ravenswood gold mine in Queensland from Resolute Mining. Production costs at Ravenswood averaged more than $2,000 an ounce in the first half of 2019; gold is currently trading at around $2,200 an ounce in Australian dollar terms, and around $US1,551 an ounce. EMR Capital is confident that plans to increase production will enable the mine to remain profitable even if the gold price falls below $US1,300 an ounce.

CORPORATES
RESOLUTE MINING LIMITED – ASX RSG, EMR CAPITAL PTY LTD