In response to news that Brazilian iron ore exports dropped 39 percent in January, an industry source told SteelOrbis that he believes that much of the decrease is attributed to mining companies exporting tons in December that would typically be exported in January in order to boost their year-end 2014 figures. Export tonnage levels in the next few months will determine whether January’s figures represent an overall downtrend, the source said.
Other sources mentioned that a substantial portion of “junior” iron ore miners are currently out of the international market because production costs are not compatible with international prices of the product.