IRON ORE – PRICES

Forrest cautious on iron outlook

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 15 & 16 : 13-Jan-17

Iron ore is trading at around $US80 a tonne, although it is tipped to fall to $US51.60 by mid-2017 and $US46.70 in 2018. The price of the steel input bottomed at $US36 per tonne in 2015, prompting Fortescue Metals Group to slash its debt and reduce its workforce. Fortescue also reduced its costs to just $US14.31 per tonne, but chairman Andrew Forrest says the group aims to achieve further cost reductions given the outlook for the iron ore price. Forrest also continues to advocate action to end slavery, and he has urged all Australian companies to take a similar stance.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, WALK FREE FOUNDATION, MINDEROO FOUNDATION, ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, VALE SA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Continued iron ore rally faces threat as supply worry returns

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Original article by Ranjeetha Pakiam
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 5-Jan-17

The price of iron ore may be negatively affected by oversupply and lower demand. Having risen 81 per cent to around $US80 a tonne in 2016, it is unlikely to continue to climb in 2017. Rising iron ore prices have had a positive impact on share prices of Australian-listed mining companies, with Rio Tinto’s shares gaining 34 per cent in value in 2016.

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

Fortescue steers past another milestone with iron ore carrier

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Original article by Angus Grigg
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 30-Nov-16

Pure-play iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has officially launched the first of eight bulk carriers that are being built in China. Each vessel’s capacity will be around 260,000 tonnes, and Fortescue CEO Nev Power says the investment in the fleet reflects the company’s confidence in the long-term outlook for the Chinese and Asian economies, as well as demand for iron ore. The price of the steel input has reached a two-year high, but Power expects it to trade at between $US50 and $US60 over the long-term.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Iron, coal rebound to lift rates

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Original article by David Rogers, Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 29-Nov-16

Coal and iron ore are currently trading at prices that are significantly above the forecasts made in the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget. Based on current prices, the nation’s export earnings in 2016 will be about $A80bn higher than in 2015. Tim Toohey of Goldman Sachs says this should be sufficient to avert the risk of Australia’s credit rating being downgraded. Financial markets believe that there is also now a better-than-even chance of an increase in the cash rate by the end of 2017.

CORPORATES
GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BLOOMBERG LP

Iron ore futures soar on mill closures

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Original article by Lisa Murray
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 25-Nov-16

The January 2017 iron ore contract has gained over 17 per cent on the Dalian Commodity Exchange in the last three trading sessions. Futures traders have responded positively to the Chinese Government’s plans to reduce steel production and shut down inefficient steel mills. Analysts note that demand for higher-grade iron ore is rising as steel mills seek to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The sharp rise in the price of coking coal has also increased demand for higher-quality iron ore.

CORPORATES
DALIAN COMMODITY EXCHANGE, BAOCHENG FUTURES, THE STEEL INDEX LIMITED, MYSTEEL.COM LIMITED, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED

BHP upbeat on China iron, coal demand

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 19 & 20 : 18-Nov-16

Malcolm Broomhead, Carolyn Hewson and Lindsay Maxsted are said to be the leading internal contenders to succeed BHP Billiton chairman Jac Nasser, who intends to step down by mid-2017. Meanwhile, CEO Andrew Mackenzie says demand for Australian iron ore and coal has been boosted by the Chinese Government’s efforts to make its steel mills and coal mines more efficient. However, he adds that BHP is taking the view that a likely increase in global supply means the current price of iron ore will not be sustained. In contrast, Deutsche Bank has lifted its forecast for the iron ore price by 21 per cent in 2017, to $US55 per tonne.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

‘Too far, too fast’ for iron ore upswing

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Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 17-Nov-16

Katana Asset Management’s Romano Sala Tenna says the iron ore price has risen too quickly, and he notes that global supply is likely to increase if the price remains elevated. The pullback in the price of the steel input in mid-November 2016 has followed a rally in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential election win. China’s Ministry of Industry & Information Technology recently forecast that the nation’s annual production of crude steel will fall to between 750 million and 800 million tonnes by 2020.

CORPORATES
KATANA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, CHINA. MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, CLARKSONS PLATOU SECURITIES, BLOOMBERG WORLD IRON AND STEEL INDEX, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES)

Iron ore price surges, but producers wary of lifting output

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Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 15-Nov-16

The spot price of iron ore with 62 per cent content has risen by 102 per cent since early 2016, and 22 per cent so far in November. However, Daniel Morgan of UBS does not believe that the current price is sustainable, noting that iron ore miners have not increased their production capacity in response to the price surge. He adds that the iron ore market is unlikely to benefit from the election of Donald Trump, as the US is not an iron ore importer.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, MACQUARIE WEALTH MANAGEMENT, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Coal, iron ore budget windfall

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 19 & 32 : 3-Nov-16

The rally in the price of iron ore, coking coal and thermal coal is expected to boost the 2016-17 revenue of the Federal Government and mining states. It is estimated that tax revenue and mining royalties could be around $A12bn higher than the Federal Government and its counterparts in Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland had forecast. However, this will depend on whether the prices of Australia’s key export commodities remain at around current levels. Macquarie Group expects coal prices to eventually fall, but stresses that the timing of this will depend on Chinese Government policy.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S CORPORATION, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, GLENCORE PLC

Iron ore won’t drop to $US40: Fortescue CEO

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Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 28-Oct-16

The iron ore price has rallied to more than $US60 per tonne, compared with just $US38/tonne in late 2015. Fortescue Metals Group CEO Nev Power says his company expects the price of the steel input to trade within a range of $US40-$US60 in 2017. He adds that an improvement in sentiment could prompt a further rise, adding that there is unlikely to be a large enough fall in demand for iron ore in China for the price to retreat to around $US40. Morgan Stanley forecasts that iron ore will average $US42 in the December 2016 quarter.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, VALE SA