Iron ore giant says miners have shut gates on new supply

Australia's mining machinery imports fell 62% in November and December, the biggest fall since the global financial crisis, according to one of the country's largest freight forwarders of heavy equipment.

Vale SA is diverting iron ore shipments to the Philippines as a way of shipping its product to China, as the Asian economic powerhouse continues to resist super-sized vessels destined for Chinese ports.

Tiny Oman, the Sultanate perched on the southeast tip of the Arabian peninsula, is setting up for a quantum leap in mining, the Oman Daily Observer reports in an article published Saturday.

On the last day of Roundup, Vancouver's mining showcase, Sandy Chim CEO of Canada's Century Iron Mines, flashed a few slides about China, India and the iron ore market that would make gold bugs green with envy.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a US iron ore and coal producer, is anticipating lower prices and volumes of iron ore shipped in the fourth quarter.

With revenues of $60 billion last year and operations at the ends of the earth, few companies are in a better position to take the pulse of the global economy and the resource sector than Caterpillar. But what is it saying about the outlook for 2012?

A new survey out Tuesday shows South Africa’s appeal for mining investment has declined dramatically since 2006 and the country now ranks a lowly 67th out of 79 countries in the study.

Bloomberg reports that Ivanplats Ltd., an Africa-focused mining company controlled by billionaire CEO Robert Friedland, may seek up to $1 billion in an IPO.

The Australian interviews investment bank Renaissance Group founder Stephen Jennings about investing in Africa. The New Zealand-born billionaire made his money in emerging markets, specifically Russia, in the 1990s, and tells the paper "sub-Saharan Africa will be one of the few markets globally offering real growth in the next few years."