The Iron Ore Market Is Polarized as Australia Booms, Brazil Lags

In the global iron ore market right now it’s a tale of two very different exporters. While mining majors in Australia are going flat out and the country may be shipping record volumes, rival Brazil has seen stunted flows with the coronavirus pandemic restraining operations.   The contrasting fortunes of the pair — which between them account more than …

Vale expected to ship more iron ore to China in 2020

Brazil’s Vale SA expects iron ore shipments to China to rise in 2020, versus 2019, due to falling demand in other countries hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a phone call between the miner and the China Iron and Steel Association. Production at Vale has not been impacted by the pandemic and it is …

Brazil May Plant Biggest Soybean Crop Ever: Fertilizer Co. Yara

Fertilizer sales in Brazil has surged with farmers taking advantage of the stronger purchasing power in the past decade, Lair Hanzen, CEO for Yara International in the Americas, said Monday at a press briefing. “Brazil is getting ready to plant a new record soybean crop”   While the sharp decline of the Brazilian currency against the dollar boosted …

American Exporters Sell Soy to China Despite Rising Tensions

American soybean exporters sold several cargoes to Chinese state-run buyers, according to people familiar with the matter, showing that some transactions are still going through even after officials in Beijing ordered a pause in some purchases.   Shippers sold as many as four cargoes of U.S. soybeans from the new crop, said the people, who asked not …

New Virus Hotspot Latin America Houses World’s Biggest Mines

The decision to keep Chinese factories shut after the Lunar New Year sent shudders through the giant mines of Brazil and Chile that feed them. Now, with China getting back to work and Latin America the new virus hotspot, concern is shifting from demand to supply.   Iron-ore shipper Vale SA had a scare last …