Mining stocks carnage as iron ore, copper prices fall

According to Fastmarkets MB, benchmark 62% Fe fines imported into Northern China were changing hands for $92.98 a tonne, down 8.7% from Friday’s closing. Prices have collapsed about 60% since hitting a record in May, and are below three figures for the first time in more than a year.

China produces more steel than the rest of the world combined and Beijing is implementing production curbs this year as it works toward a target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.

Copper for delivery in December fell 3% from Friday’s settlement price, touching $4.116 per pound ($9,166 per tonne) midday Monday on the Comex market in New York, a month low. Copper prices hit a record high of more than $10,500 a tonne in May.

Chinese property giant Evergrande is weighed down by a $300 billion debt burden and a collapse could send ripple effects across the sector. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng property index fell to its lowest since 2016 . The Chinese real estate and building sectors are the main driver of steel consumption and also accounts for roughly a fifth of copper demand.

Top mining companies were caught up in the turmoil on equity markets with heavy-volume declines across the board.

Global number three iron ore and number two copper producer BHP fell 3.4% in New York, bringing its Q3 slump to over 26%. Rio Tinto fell nearly 4% while Vale, which vies with the Anglo-Australian giant as top iron ore producer, was down 6.4%. Rio de Janeiro-based Vale has shed a third of its value since end-June while Rio has given up 22%.

Anglo American ADRs trading in New York fell nearly 6%, bringing losses over just the past month to 20%. Units of Glencore trading on US markets declined 5.5% but the Swiss-based miner and commodities trader, unlike its peers managed to remain in positive territory for the quarter.