中國需求前景提振鐵礦石價格
The price of iron ore has risen to its highest level in more than a month, outperforming other industrial commodities such as oil and copper as traders bet on stronger demand from China.
鐵礦石價格上漲至一個多月來最高水平，表現強於石油和銅等其他工業大宗商品，交易商押注中國需求將轉強。Benchmark Australian iron ore with 62 per cent iron content rose to $139.25 a tonne yesterday, according to Platts. That is the highest since early May and up 4.7 per cent in the past fortnight.
普氏能源(Platts)調查顯示，含鐵量爲62%的澳大利亞基準鐵礦石價格日前上漲到每噸139.25美元，達到5月初以來的最高水平，過去兩週的漲幅達到4.7%。In contrast, Brent crude oil prices have slid 7 per cent over the same period, while on the London Metal Exchange aluminium prices were down 3.9 per cent and copper prices were up just 1.1 per cent.
與此形成反差的是，同期，布倫特(Brent)原油價格下跌了7%，倫敦金屬交易所(LME)鋁價下跌3.9%，銅價只上漲了1.1%。
The rise in iron ore prices will be a boon for miners such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Vale, whose share prices have been under severe pressure as investors fear a global downturn driven by the eurozone debt crisis.
對於必和必拓(BHP Billiton)、力拓(Rio Tinto)以及巴西淡水河谷(Vale)這些礦業公司來說，鐵礦石價格的上漲是一個利好消息，此前由於投資者擔憂歐債危機帶來全球衰退，導致這些公司的股價近期處於嚴重壓力之下。The share price of Rio, for whom iron ore makes up three-quarters of underlying earnings, has fallen more than 20 per cent since mid-February.
自2月中旬以來，鐵礦石業務貢獻四分之三基本盈利的力拓股價下跌逾20%。Iron ore prices have been buoyed by tentative optimism over China, where inventories have been falling and businesses are hoping for a government stimulus after Beijing cut benchmark interest rates for the first time since 2008.
鐵礦石價格受到有關中國的初步樂觀情緒的提振，中國鐵礦石庫存量近期在下降，同時自中國官方2008年以來首次降低基準利率之後，企業正期待着政府出臺刺激措施。Moreover, at last month’s price lows of $132 a tonne, the highest-cost Chinese iron ore miners are unprofitable, analysts say.
此外，分析師認爲，由於上月鐵礦石價格處於每噸132美元的低位，中國那些成本最高的鐵礦石企業很難盈利。Nonetheless, traders remain wary of the possibility of a sharper fall in prices should the eurozone crisis trigger a broader global slowdown.
然而，如果歐元區危機引發全球整體放緩，可能引發價格劇烈下跌，交易商仍擔心這種可能性。
