Rapid urbanisation in China has been a key driver of global steel demand and therefore demand for iron ore and coking coal. This article considers the medium- and long-term prospects for residential construction in China and their implications for steel consumption. Residential construction is...

The Australian economy has in recent years experienced the longest terms of trade boom in its history. This boom has had important macroeconomic outcomes – such as an elevated real exchange rate, large-scale investment in the resources sector and higher national income. The terms of trade have...

Exports of services are an important source of demand for the Indian economy and account for a larger share of output than in most major economies. The importance of India’s services exports mirrors that of the broader services sector in India, which is large compared with other countries at a...

Iron ore and coking coal are complementary inputs for steelmaking and therefore their prices are closely related to steel prices. Historically, trade in iron ore and coking coal was based on long-term contracts, but in recent years there has been a shift towards shorter-term pricing, including...

This article summarises changes to be made to the RBA Index of Commodity Prices (ICP). In line with developments in export values over recent years, the weight of iron ore in the index will increase, while the weights for coal, gold and base metals will be reduced. Overall, these changes will...