SINGAPORE - Brazil's Vale , the world's top iron-ore miner, expects prices of the steelmaking raw material to remain above $150/t for at least the next five years on tight global supplies, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
The bullish prediction by Guilherme Cavalcanti, finance director of the mining group, is the latest contribution to a debate on the outlook for the iron ore market that has polarised analysts and investors.
Reuters Africa reported that the Jinchuan Group’s (FRA:GDZD) bid for Metorex (JNB:MEMTX) is higher than Vale’s (NYSE:VALE) offer. The market news is quoted as saying: Jinchuan, China’s dominant nickel producer, added almost 22 percent to Vale’s offer, making 8.90 rand per share for a cash bid at current exchange rates of around $1.32 billion.
Dow Jones reports Argentina's Mendoza Province has lifted its suspension of the multibillion dollar Rio Colorado potash mine project being developed by Brazilian mining company Vale SA. Mendoza's Environmental Secretariat has allowed Vale to move forward with the mine after the company agreed to submit reports on its local hiring and procurement practices to the local authorities, the provincial government said in a statement.
Coal could be a driver of growth for Brazilian mining giant Vale as it increases production of the key steel ingredient by as much as 35 million metric tonnes over the next ten years, Citigroup analysts said in a report on Tuesday.
South African miner Metorex said on Monday that it had still received no firm offer from any party other than Brazil's Vale, which has made a $1.1 billion offer for it.
Vale has increased its initial coal production target at the Moatize mine in Mozambique by 76% and is planning to quadruple that result in 2012. Vale sales manager Marcelo Matos said Moatize mine is expected to produce 1.5Mt of coal in 2011.
Bloomberg reports Vale SA, the world’s largest iron-ore miner, cut its target for 2015 output by 10%. The Rio de Janeiro-based company expects to produce 469 million metric tons a year of the steelmaking ingredient by that time, compared with an Oct. 28 forecast of 522 million tons, it said today in an e-mailed statement. No more details were given. Chief Executive Officer Murilo Ferreira, who replaced Roger Agnelli this year after the Brazilian government criticized Vale’s strategy, is cutting targets amid concern raw materials demand in China will slow as the country boosts interest rates to combat quickening inflation. The benchmark Standard & Poor’s GSCI commodity index is heading for a second monthly drop.
Brazilian miner Vale (VALE5.SA:Quote) said on Wednesday it had scrapped plans to sell stock in its fertilizer division, and would take the unit private, buying shares in the company it does not already own. Vale plans to pay up to 2.2 billion reais (US$1.4 billion) to buy out minority investors of Vale Fertilizantes, whose main asset is a stake in Fosfertil (FFTL4.SA: Quote).
Central Iron Ore Ltd. (the "Company" or "CIO") is pleased to announce that it has, through its subsidiary Central West Resources Pty Ltd, entered into a farm in and joint venture agreement with the Australian Stock Exchange listed Pacific Ore Limited (ASX:PSF) ("Pacific") in respect of CIO's Perinvale North Iron Ore Hub ("Perinvale North Hub") for AUD$15 million ("Joint Venture"). The Perinvale North Hub consists of Exploration Licence 57/818 covering an area of 120km² and is located approximately 550km North East of Perth, Western Australia in the Yilgarn Iron Ore Province ("YIOP").