Brazilian pension funds to sell stakes in Vale

Hope for the beleaguered iron ore sector has come in the form of higher prices and signs that steel demand is picking up in China, Reuters reports.

While the sordid details emerging from the proceedings are humiliating enough there may be some serious financial implications for Gina Rinehart – mining's 4th richest person with a fortune pegged at around $18 billion – as well. On top of the tax loopholes in family trusts exposed by the Rinehart saga, it has also emerged that Hancock Prospecting has not submitted annual financial statements for the past two years.

MarketWatch quotes  Nomura economist Zhiwei Zhang as saying:  "Overall, economic conditions are getting weaker at a fast pace. The slowdown is happening faster than the government expected."

Anglesey Mining said that its 33% owned associate Labrador Iron Mines has raised CAD 71.6 million to finance the development of its iron ore projects in Canada.

Brazilian mining giant Vale (NYSE: VALE) has contacted China's second largest container line China Shipping Group to negotiate a way for its very large ore carriers (VLOCs) to dock in Chinese ports again

The big three – BHP, Vale and Rio Tinto – control nearly 70% of the 1 billion tonne annual iron ore seaborne trade and even the combined mining and trading capabilities of a Glenstrata may not be enough of an advantage over the incumbents.

The mining sector's bellwether companies were all beaten down on Monday after China's premier Wen Jiabao delivered a downbeat outlook for the world's second largest economy adding that there were "new problems" to deal with.

Rio Tinto plans to invest $2 billion in an iron ore project in the eastern Indian state of Orissa to supply Indian and overseas clients, Sam Walsh, head of the miner's Australia-based iron ore division, told reporters.

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