Cliffs Natural Resources CEO Yearns for Iron Ore Collusion, uh, Cooperation

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on March 12, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) When I last wrote about the colorful CEO of Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF), Lourenco Goncalves, he was lambasting the Australians for manipulating their currency as a last desperate measure to save … Read more

While Cliffs Natural Resources Lashes Out, Rio Tinto Coolly Maintains the Pressure

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 20, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) I extend a hat tip to the Sydney Morning Herald for alerting me to the incendiary comments made by Lourenco Goncalves, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cliffs Natural Resources … Read more

Negative Feedback Loops Should Continue Pressuring Iron Ore Prices Lower

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 19, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) {April 8, 2015 addendum: negative feedback loop is not the accurate term. I should have left it at feedback loops or even destructive feedback loops} {snip} {snip} There is every reason … Read more

Rio Tinto and The Iron Ore Version of “Dancing Until the Music Stops”

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 5, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Almost any piece these days discussing the price of iron ore refers to the growing supply gut caused by major iron ore miners who continue to produce and ship as … Read more

It Had to Happen – An Outright Call for Iron Ore Collusion

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on March 26, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} The response was swift. The The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a statement indicating it will investigate the context and nature of comments made by Andrew Forrest, founder … Read more

More Rate Cut Pressure As Australian Dollar’s Multi-Year Weakness Fails to Curb Trade Deficit

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 2, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) A drop in the Australian dollar (FXA) toward a fresh six-year low has not stopped Australia’s trade balance from worsening. {snip} Source: The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Source for currency … Read more

T2108 Update (January 5, 2015) – The Santa Claus Rally Gives Way to New Year Angst

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are … Read more

T2108 Update (November 28, 2014) – A Potentially Bearish Retreat from Overbought Conditions As Commodities Swim A Sea Of Red

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are … Read more

Rio Tinto Quickly Gives Up Gains from Morgan Stanley Upgrade

Two weeks ago, I noted Rio Tinto (RIO) as a prime short as a late responder to the on-going collapse in iron ore prices. On Monday (September 22), it broke down. Typically, I close out fortuitous short positions on such swift moves, but I am projecting RIO to go a lot lower over the next … Read more