The Collapsing Iron Ore Boycott

World Market Pulse submits:After being labeled as a savior and a threat to the world’s steel industry, China is slowly pulling back on its steel production after restarting a war of world's over setting up the prices for China's biggest import commodity.

Wildebeest submits: It won't be long before the 2010 round of contract talks begin between the major iron ore producers and major European and Asian steel producers. Early estimates from pundits who cover the sector were for an increase of approximately 10% but recently the punditry has been a bit more bullish.

Dr. Stephen Leeb submits:As we mentioned last week, Vale S.A. (VALE) recently made the decision to switch to a more flexible, quarterly pricing system that would lead to a boost in revenue for the company. While the short-term impact of the decision will likely be marginal – new annual prices will soon be more closely in line with the quarterly price – the longer-term effects of this will be significant. This week we learned more about how this transition would occur.

Joel Smolen submits:Vale (VALE), the global leader in iron ore mining, has reached a quarterly ore price agreement with Japanese steel producers Nippon Steel (NISTY.PK) and Sumitomo Metal Industries (SMMLY.PK) and Kore

As Rio Tinto (RTP) confirms it will be joining BHP Billiton (BHP) and Vale (VALE) in pursuing quarterly iron ore contract negotiations, the world’s three largest iron ore producers bring a fundamental shift in the industry, away f

James Duade submits: When discussing commodities, most investors first think of crude oil, natural gas, gold, silver, wheat, or rare earth minerals. However, many people are surprised to hear that the world's second largest commodity market is actually iron ore. Iron ore is the main ingredient in steel and is used to create a wide variety of products, including steel coil that is used in cars and machinery, steel pipe used in the oil and gas industry, and steel beams and rivets used in construction.

Kelvin Schulle submits:These days, China has the final say in determining the price of iron ore and met coal prices.

Markos Kaminis (Wall St. Greek) submits: Iron ore's pricing dynamics are complex, but recent industry efforts to change to a quarterly benchmark, and China's reaction, may offer insight into future commodity prices.