The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

CLF/VALE/BHP—One large source of future iron-ore supply—the Simondau northern deposits in Guinea—may never be commercialized due to a variation on resource nationalism by Guinea:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/07/vale-china-idUSL1E8N63F120121207

Brazil's Vale , the world's top iron ore producer, has blamed a Guinean government U-turn on rail and port links and shifting, unclear regulation for its decision to shelve the giant Simandou iron ore project.

Vale said it remained interested in working in Guinea and at Simandou, site of the world's largest untapped deposit of iron ore, but needed clarity to proceed with the project. It stopped work on its part of the deposit in the spring and froze activity at the smaller Zogota project months later.

This info is from VALE’s two (New York and London) Investor Day webcasts this week.