IRON ORE – PRICES

Fortescue out of kilter on discounts

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Original article by Matthew Stevens
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 9-Aug-18

Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines maintains that the price discount for lower-grade iron ore is cyclical rather than structural. The general consensus among iron ore producers is that the price gap will be sustained, with executives from Rio Tinto and Vale recently expressing the view that Chinese steel mills will continue to favour higher-grade ore. The benchmark price of iron ore rose by almost three per cent on 7 August, to almost $US70 per tonne.

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

FMG sees end in sight to discounting

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 8-Aug-18

Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines has told the Diggers & Dealers forum in Kalgoorlie that the pure-play iron ore miner still considers the price discount for lower-grade ore to be cyclical. She said the price gap will eventually narrow, although it is too soon to know when this will occur. Gaines also said Fortescue could seek a seat on Atlas Iron’s board after choosing to retain a stake in the takeover target. She added that Fortescue expects to participate in the consultation process regarding the development of new South West Creek berths at Port Hedland.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, DIGGERS AND DEALERS FORUM, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Fortescue Metals Group hits export goal amid 36pc discount

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 27-Jul-18

Pure-play iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has advised that its shipments reached a record 46.5 million tonnes in the final quarter of 2017-18, and it shipped 169.7 million tonnes in the full year. Fortescue had flagged total shipments of 170 million tonnes for the financial year. Fortescue’s unit costs averaged $US12.36 per tonne in 2017-18, and it received an average of 64 per cent of the benchmark price of iron ore. Rising demand for higher-grade iron ore in China prompted Fortescue to downgrade its price realisation forecast several times during 2017-18.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Iron ore heads for price crash: RBC

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 20 : 26-Jul-18

RBC Capital Markets has downgraded its average price forecast for iron ore in the September quarter from $US60 per tonne to $US50. The firm also expects the price of the steel input to average $US47.50 in the December quarter, compared with previous expectations of $US70. However, RBC expects the iron ore price to rebound to $US63/tonne in 2019. RBC has also downgraded its earnings forecasts and share price targets for BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group.

CORPORATES
RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Top-grade iron ore may spike to $US100 on China clampdown

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Original article by Krystal Chia
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 17-Jul-18

The price of high-grade iron ore reached $US91 a tonne on 13 July, and there is speculation that it could reach $US100. The demand for high-grade iron ore, which is classed as ore with 65 per cent iron content, is being driven by steel mills in China, where there is a major crackdown on pollution. Using high-grade ore enables steel makers to cut back on pollutants, as well as allowing them to produce more steel. The price of high-grade ore is up since the start of 2018, while the price of benchmark ore – which has 62 per cent iron content – has declined by 14 per cent.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA, WOOD MACKENZIE, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, IRON ORE RESEARCH PTY LTD, CRU GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE

Resources bull run ‘won’t last’

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 43 : 9-May-18

The Federal Government’s Budget bottom line has been bolstered by stronger-than-expected commodity prices, although its economic forecasts for coming years are based on expectations of a fall in the price of iron ore and metallurgical coal. The Budget papers also forecast that Australia’s terms of trade will rise by 1.5 per cent in 2017-18, followed by a decline over the next four years, including a 5.25 per cent fall in 2018-19. The Budget also notes that the global price of oil will have a greater influence on Australia’s export revenue in coming years as the nation’s LNG exports increase.

CORPORATES

Fortescue faces iron ore discount dilemma

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 28-Mar-18

China’s growing demand for higher-grade iron ore has boosted the profits of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, while the widening discount for lower-grade ore slashed the interim earnings of Fortescue Metals Group. The pure-play miner has advised that its iron ore is now expected to fetch 65 per cent of the benchmark price, compared with its recent forecast of 70-75 per cent. The discount has widened from just five per cent in the March 2016 quarter to 35 per cent, but Fortescue still maintains that it is cyclical and will narrow over time. However, rival producers argue that the discount is structural.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA, CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INCORPORATED

Vale challenges Rio and BHP on China sales

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 1-Mar-18

Brazilian iron ore miner Vale has indicated that since 2016 its profits margins on sales to China have matched those of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. Vale has increased the average iron content of its ore to 64.3 per cent, and a spokesman says this should rise further over the next several years. In contrast, BHP’s ore has an average iron content of 61 per cent, while Rio Tinto’s averages 62 per cent. Meanwhile, BlackRock fund manager Evy Hambro says expectations that the price discount for lower-grade iron ore will be sustained prompted the World Mining Trust to divest its stake in Fortescue Metals Group in 2017.

CORPORATES
VALE SA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BLACKROCK INCORPORATED, BLACKROCK WORLD MINING TRUST PLC

Rival MinRES contradicts FMG on iron discounts

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 1-Feb-18

Mineral Resources has advised that it stockpiled about 500,000 tonnes of iron ore fines during the December 2017 quarter, in response to the ongoing price discount for lower-grade ore. In contrast to Fortescue Metals Group, Mineral Resources expects the price discount to be sustained for some time. Mineral Resources also sought to counter the price discount by changing its iron ore blend in a bid to deliver supply buyers with a higher-quality product. Fortescue also intends to increase the average grade of its iron ore.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, INDEPENDENCE GROUP NL – ASX IGO

Cycle turning on discounts, says Fortescue

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 31-Jan-18

Fortescue Metals Group CEO Nev Power expects the price gap between lower-grade iron ore and the benchmark price to narrow in coming months. He says the December 2017 quarter is likely to represent the low-point for the price discount. Fortescue sold its iron ore at just 66 per cent of the benchmark price during the quarter, compared with 86-88 per cent between 2014 and 2016. Meanwhile, Citigroup has forecast that Fortescue will reduce its net debt to $US2.4bn by mid-2018, after it rose to $US3.3bn at the end of 2017.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED, CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INCORPORATED, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA