Australian miners earnings to shine spotlight on iron ore prices, Chinese demand

Second-half results from the Australian mining triumvirate of Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue are likely to draw a grim picture of a sharp drop in iron ore prices and demand from top metals consumer China.

Half-year 2021 earnings at Fortescue, a pure-play iron ore miner, will likely drop by roughly a third, while six-month profit growth at more diversified, larger rivals Rio Tinto and BHP is expected to be knocked down.

Prices of the steel-making commodity halved from record levels over the December-half as China's push to curb emissions and easing construction activity in its debt-laden property sector curtailed demand, and analysts contend they will remain way off last year's peak for some time.

BHP, which scrapped its dual-listing structure in favour of a main listing in Sydney, is expected to report a 53per cent rise in profit, compared with a whopping 185per cent gain in the June-half when prices hit a record.