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Nov 18 (Reuters) – China is making its third attempt in two years to have a bigger say in pricing iron ore. This time it may have hit on the winning formula.

Brisk trade in the first month on Dalian iron ore futures brings Beijing a big step closer to its goal of a China-based pricing benchmark for the world’s second most traded commodity after oil, and the biggest earner for top miners Vale , Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton .

Read more at: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/18/china-ironore-futures-idINL3N0IB28H20131118

Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. (TRQ:US), the Rio Tinto Group unit that produces copper in Mongolia, may go ahead with a $2.4 billion share offer after it failed to arrange funding to expand its Oyu Tolgoi mine.

Turquoise Hill, which owns 66 percent of Oyu Tolgoi, was unable to obtain long-term project financing because of uncertainty about when it will resolve disagreements with its other shareholder, Mongolia’s government, the Vancouver-based company said yesterday in a statement.

Read more at: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-11-14/rio-unit-readies-2-dot-4-billion-rights-offer-for-mongolia-mine-1

Nov 13 (Reuters) – Indonesia announced plans on Wednesday for $35 billion in new infrastructure projects from next year in a bid to tackle one of the biggest deterrents to investment in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

Of the 56 planned projects, 32 are meant to be partnerships between the private and public sector, which Indonesia calls ‘PPP’ ventures.

Read more at: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/13/indonesia-economy-infrastructure-idINL4N0IY1N120131113

Refiner Johnson Matthey said on Tuesday in its Platinum 2013 Interim Review that the platinum market was expected to show a shortfall of 605,000 ounces this year from 340,000 ounces last year.

“The platinum market is expected to be in significant deficit for a third consecutive year in 2014,” the industry benchmark report said. “However, this may not be sufficient to support higher prices as long as the market remains adequately supplied from above-ground stocks.”

Read more at:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/12/platinum-johnsonmatthey-idUSL5N0IX27D20131112

Glencore Xstrata, the global metals producer and commodities supplier that started trading in Johannesburg on Wednesday, will draw strong demand for its stock from South African investors, according to Investec Asset Management.

“In terms of diversification, it offers something pretty unique,” said Hanre Rossouw, Investec Asset Management’s head of commodities for frontier and emerging markets. With Glencore’s copper mining and marketing business, “you’ve got two-thirds exposure to something you don’t really get in the South African market”, he said.

Read more at:

http://mg.co.za/article/2013-11-13-glencore-xstratas-diversity-to-attract-jse-investors

Resolution Copper Co., a US-based company owned by giants Rio Tinto  and BHP  is fine tuning details to submit a plan to the federal government this week, which will detail how it would run what it could be North America’s largest copper mine.

Based in Arizona’s famous Copper Corridor, the Resolution Copper mine is currently in its pre-feasibility stage. The plan, to be presented to the U.S. Forest Service on Friday, is only the first step in a lengthy environmental review of the vast mine by the federal government.

Read more at: http://www.mining.com/rio-tinto-bhp-a-step-closer-to-open-us-largest-copper-mine-94236/

Restrictions aimed at clamping down on illegal mining have slashed output and shipments from India, previously the world’s third-largest exporter with over $7 billion a year of iron ore supplied mostly to China’s steelmakers.

The world’s top miners, Vale, Rio Tinto  and BHP Billiton  have stepped into the vacuum left by India to boost sales to China, Japan and South Korea.

Read more at:

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/12/india-ironore-goa-supreme-court-idINDEE9AA05H20131112