Australia clears iron ore ports, miners brace as cyclones approach

Baltic Dry Shipping Index has surged 220% this year as the iron ore and coal trade continues to defy Chinese bears.

Share price drops more than 6%.

Work on half of the giant Simandou concession in Guinea has been halted amid a corruption probe, but the door to a settlement between the Western African nation, Brazil's Vale and Beny Steinmetz's mining arm may be in the offing.

Chief Andrew Mackenzie highlighted he will base future decisions on BHP's "four key pillars": coal, iron ore, petroleum and copper.

But British Columbia is expected to become the fastest growing economy by 2015.

Canadian mining companies are becoming increasingly unwilling to add employees to their payrolls and are reporting the weakest hiring intentions since Q3 2009.

Resource industry employment expected to grow 11% in the next five years.

Juniors usually raise cash to keep their operations going by issuing new shares.

Deutsche, Europe's number two bank, has joined the US exodus and is getting out commodities trading, although it is keeping precious metals in its portfolio.