Australia’s iron ore exports up in May
Based on the recent market reports, Australia's iron ore exports totaled 20.6 million tons in May, just below the record in March's 20.8 million tons. Australia's largest exporters, BHP Billiton (BHP) and Rio Tinto (RIO) indicated that they see no signs of demand slowing, although Chinese steel mills have been deferring shipments of iron ore. Meanwhile, the country's coal exports reached record 7.9 million tons in May. On the other hand, thermal coal exports saw a decline of 10%.