Macquarie says iron ore, coal prices to remain strong into 2018 www.mining.com

Prices for iron ore and coking coal, the two key ingredients for steelmaking, are set to remain buoyant for the remainder of the year, Macquarie Bank predicted in a recent report.

The influential Australian bank revised its earlier price estimates for iron ore and coking coal by a wide margin, citing an overall improvement in the Chinese economy, which consumes the vast majority of the world's steelmaking inputs.

"The biggest discernible change in fortunes for commodities has been a lifting in investor sentiment towards Chinese demand, with the strong June macroeconomic prints — including the third-highest ever loans data — having presented a more robust picture of activity for the second half of 2017," Macquarie says in the report quoted by Business Insider. "After resurgent strength in commodities prices, particularly amongst the bulks, we upgrade our forecasts."

Macquarie previously saw the benchmark spot price for 62% fines averaging $50 a tonne in the first quarter of 2018, but now estimates it will settle around $73/tonne – an increase of 46%.

"Our prior forecasts assumed a more rapid closing of the discount for low grade iron-ore as the fall in benchmark prices was expected to be driven by both increased high grade supply and declining steel demand," the bank explained. "However, with the outlook for steel bullish for at least the next six to nine months, we have assumed the discounts for lower grade ore close more slowly than previously anticipated."

Benchmark iron ore last traded at $76.08 a tonne, a slight dip from its Aug. 22 close of $79.65 a tonne, according to Metal Bulletin.

The bulk-shipped material has been on a tear since June when it was trading in the mid-$50s, largely due to increased Chinese steel production. China's steel production in July rose more than 10% compared to last year to a record 74m tonnes as traders worry about a steel supply crunch going into the new year. Beijing wants to cut output by as much as 50% during winter months to fight smog, particularly in its capital city and surrounding areas.

In Hebei province, China's key producing region, steelmakers said they will comply with stringent new emissions regulations starting September 1. Some 120 million tonnes of low-quality steel capacity were shuttered during the first six month of the year.

Meanwhile BHP (NYSE:BHP), one of the largest exporters of iron ore and coking coal from Australia, said it is optimistic going into 2018.

“Based on our view that the steel market in China will remain tight, thus supporting mill margins, we expect (iron) ores at the higher end of the grade spectrum to perform well for at least the remainder of the calendar year,” chief commercial officer Arnoud Balhuizen said on BHP's website.

Turning to coal, Macquarie said coking coal prices will also remain elevated for longer than it previously anticipated.

The bank revised its near-term coking coal price forecasts by 32% and 40% in the first and second quarters of next year, respectively, to $185 and $175 a tonne. It said the upgrades were based on Chinese restocking demand and tight coking coal supply.

“With the potential for voluntary supply restraint by major Chinese metallurgical coal producers, ongoing supply issues, Chinese port inventories remaining low, high land-borne logistics costs in China, and the potential for an accelerated rate of capacity closures in calendar year 2018, it is possible that metallurgical coal prices can sustain above long-run marginal costs for some time,” BHP's Balhuizen was quoted in The Australian.

"APU" JSC presents its 2017 semi-annual report to public at MSE www.mse.mn

"APU" JSC, a Tier 1 listed company, presented its semi-annual financial and operational report to the public on August 30th, 2017 at MSE. 

Mongolia comes to West Virginia: Judges come to learn about American judicial process www.wvrecord.com

CHARLESTON – West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals representatives recently met with a group of Mongolian judges to discuss the role of the Supreme Court and the appeal process, court administration, electronic filing and other judicial matters.

Preliminary Balance of Payments for July, 2017 www.mongolbank.mn

Main indicators  

Current and capital account balance totaled to USD 358.9 million deficit, which is 37% or USD 212.7 million decrease compared to the same period last year. The change was mainly driven by USD 470.2 million decrease in deficit of goods and services account, resulting a surplus of USD 248.1 million.

Russia & China plan joint production of at least 200 heavy lift helicopters www.rt.com

VW launches new UK diesel scrappage scheme www.bbc.com

Russia-Mongolia-China economic corridor to open next year www.therussophile.org

The Russia-Mongolia-China economic corridor will open for international road transport next year, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told a seminar reviewing preparations to implement an intergovernmental agreement on international transport via the Asian network of highways, according to TASS.

“We expect that this agreement will come into effect and will be ratified shortly in our countries. And haulage via the Russia-Mongolia-China corridor will open already next year, in 2018,” the minister said.
“This is the development of the central railway corridor, organizing transit trucking activities on the Tianjin-Ulan Bator-Ulan-Ude route and paving a road along this route,” Sokolov said.
The minister told TASS that first cargoes will be transported along the highway in 2018. “The issue of obtaining bilateral and multilateral permission for hauling different types of cargoes between the countries is now under discussion. A data bank is being put together with a list of shipments that will include oil cargoes and unified containers,” he added.

Canada’s Trevali among world’s top zinc producers with Glencore mines buy www.mining.com

Canadian miner Trevali (TSX:TV) reached a milestone Thursday, as it finished the acquisition of majority stakes in Glencore’s (LON:GLEN) Rosh Pinah mine in Namibia and the Perkoa mine in Burkina Faso.

Vestas Providing Turbines For Mongolia’s Developing Wind Market www.nawindpower.com

ENGIE, Ferrostaal, the Danish Climate Investment Fund and Mongolian entrepreneur Radnaabazar Davaanyam have reached financial close to build and operate the 55 MW, Vestas-powered Sainshand wind park in Mongolia.

Kincora drilling underway at brownfield open pit target www.kincoracopper.com

Kincora Copper Ltd. (the “Company”, “Kincora”) (TSXV:KCC) is pleased to announce drilling is underway at its wholly owned East TS copper porphyry target in the Southern Gobi, Mongolia. The maiden reverse circulation and diamond drill program at the East TS target is comprised of approximately 2,870 metres to less than 265 metres depth for approximately 12 holes. It is proposed that during a second phase Kincora will undertake infill geophysics and a follow on 5000 metre drill program.

Sam Spring, President & CEO, commented: “It is pleasing to be drilling at the East TS target within a week of final approvals for our $4.52 million equity offering. Kincora has commenced the first Tier 1 drilling program in recent years and the first modern district scale reconnaissance exploration program in what is a world-class but underexplored porphyry belt.
In the upcoming months we will undertake drilling at two targets, initially at East TS, and then Bayan Tal. These first phase programs will provide improved geological knowledge, with funds in place for follow up geophysics and second phase drilling for a total of approximately 16,000 metres.
Our exploration programs will utilise number of advancements in global exploration techniques since the last the last wave of exploration in this belt by the likes of Ivanhoe, the BHP JV and IBEX, and will test our conceptual models of the first new Devonian porphyry systems in the Southern Gobi belt since Oyu Tolgoi, the latter being the largest expansion project globally in the industry”.
East Tsagaan Suvarga target
East TS sits within the interpreted eastern margin in the Tsagaan Suvarga Intrusive Complex (“TSIC”) which hosts the Severn Sukhait open pit, various oxide resources and exploration targets on northern structural corridor within western margin of the intrusive at the privately owned Tsagaan Suvarga project. The Seven Sukhait sulphide open pit has a 307Mt @ 0.54% Cu resource and is a billion dollar plus development project with the orebody pre-stripped and existing associated regional infrastructure, including grid power and neighbouring saline water aquifers.
Surface geology at East TS provides an analogue to the Serven Sukhait open pit alteration and associated higher-grade copper mineralization. Analysis of age dating, whole rock geochemistry and magma fertility highlights a common suite between quartz monzodiorite within the Serven Sukhait open pit, the high-grade underground deposits at OT and East TS. Interpreted geophysics supports a potential similar northern structural corridor on the eastern margin under shallow younger cover to that outcropping on the western margin. Field season activities in 2016 and earlier in 2017 have included ground magnetics, detailed mapping, petrography, whole rock geochemistry with fertility analysis, and age dating to complement historic Induced Polarization (“IP”) geophysics and soil geochemistry. The objective of ongoing field activities at East TS is to confirm the open pit and exploration analogue to Tsagaan Suvarga.
The TSIC is situated within the second large-scale and Devonian age porphyry system in the Southern Gobi belt to date with an economic discovery. The East TS target is situated within 13km of the Severn Sukhait open pit and until last years’ exploration efforts had previously unidentified outcrop, providing an excellent example of the highly mineralized but vastly underexplored potential of the Southern Gobi Devonian copper belt for further Tier 1 porphyry discoveries. Kincora holds the dominant land position in the region with a portfolio across 1437km2.