Iron ore prices soar to record high

飞雪寒冰

Iron ore prices have hit an all-time high as supply disruptions in India, the world’s third-largest exporter of the steelmaking commodity, tighten the market just as Asian steelmakers rush to buy ahead of the Chinese New Year.
用于钢铁生产的铁矿石价格创下历史新高。正当亚洲钢铁厂争相抢在中国农历新年之前进货之际，全球第三大铁矿石出口国印度出现供应中断，导致市场吃紧。

The spike will add further inflationary pressures to the global economy as the cost of the commodity filters into steel prices and, ultimately, into the cost of everyday goods such as cars and washing machines. But it will also boost the profit-ability of the world’s largest iron ore miners: Vale of Brazil and London-listed Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton.
这轮飙涨将进一步加大全球经济的通胀压力，因为铁矿石价格会直接影响钢铁价格，最终影响到汽车、洗衣机等日常用品的成本。但全球各大铁矿石生产商——巴西淡水河谷(Vale)、伦敦上市公司力拓(Rio Tinto)和必和必拓(BHP Billiton)——的盈利能力将得到提升。

飞雪寒冰

The three miners will release their results for the second half of 2010 next month and analysts are expecting them to deliver billions in dividends after iron ore prices rallied.
三大矿商将于下月发布2010年下半年业绩。鉴于铁矿石价格飙涨，分析师们预计矿商们将大派股息。

The price of spot Australian benchmark iron ore, which includes freight costs, hit a peak of $185 a tonne on Wednesday, according to price provider Platts.
根据普氏能源资讯(Platts)的数据，澳洲基准铁矿石的现货价格（含运费）周三触及每吨185美元高位。

飞雪寒冰

The three miners will release their results for the second half of 2010 next month and analysts are expecting them to deliver billions in dividends after iron ore prices rallied.
三大矿商将于下月发布2010年下半年业绩。鉴于铁矿石价格飙涨，分析师们预计矿商们将大派股息。

The price of spot Australian benchmark iron ore, which includes freight costs, hit a peak of $185 a tonne on Wednesday, according to price provider Platts.
根据普氏能源资讯(Platts)的数据，澳洲基准铁矿石的现货价格（含运费）周三触及每吨185美元高位。

飞雪寒冰

Spot prices include the cost of shipping from Western Australia into the port of Qingdao in China. But miners focus on the price of the commodity proper, excluding freight. On that basis, iron ore prices hit a record of $177.9 a tonne, traders said.
现货价格包含从澳洲西部到中国青岛港的船运成本。但矿商们关注的是不含运费的价格。交易员称，不含运费，铁矿石价格创下了每吨177.9美元的历史新高。

The quarterly contracts which last year replaced the 40-year-old benchmark system of annual negotiations are linked to the spot market excluding freight costs.
季度合约去年取代实行了40年的基准年度协商制度。季度合约与不含运费的现货市场价格挂钩。

飞雪寒冰

The previous peak was set in April 2008 just above $205 a tonne. But back then freight costs were much higher – at about $30 a tonne, compared with $6.50 a tonne – now, leaving the price of the commodity free-on-board at $175 a tonne.
此前铁矿石的历史最高价格是2008年4月创下的每吨略高于205美元。但当时的运费比现在高得多，为每吨30美元左右，而如今为6.50美元——因而当时的离岸价格为每吨175美元。

The current spike comes on the back of tight supplies from India following Karnataka state’s decision to ban iron ore exports.
自从印度卡纳塔克邦(Karnataka)禁止铁矿石出口之后，来自印度的铁矿石供应出现紧缩，由此引发了本轮大涨行情。

飞雪寒冰

The state, which accounts for about a quarter of India’s annual exports of more than 100m tonnes, prohibited the sales amid a clampdown on illegal mining. The state of Orissa, which accounts for a fifth of India’s ore exports, also said recently it was considering a similar ban. The ban in India has tightened supplies as Asian steelmakers step up their buying.
印度年出口铁矿石逾1亿吨，其中卡纳塔克邦占四分之一左右。该邦近期开展打击非法矿场行动，并下达了铁矿石出口禁令。铁矿石出口量约占全国五分之一的奥里萨邦(Orissa)近期也表示考虑出台类似禁令。在亚洲钢铁厂加紧进货之际，印度此举导致铁矿石供应吃紧。

Meanwhile, some iron ore projects in Australia and Brazil are facing delays. In addition, iron ore mining executives, analysts and traders said that demand was strong in Asia ahead of the Chinese New Year starting in early February.
与此同时，澳洲和巴西的某些铁矿石项目正面临延期。此外，铁矿石生产企业高管、分析师和交易员均表示，在中国农历新年（始于2月初）之前，亚洲铁矿石需求表现强劲。