Money of Mine

The Man Who Killed the Iron Ore Benchmark

September 19, 2026·1h 4m
Episode Description from the Publisher

Marius Kloppers spent nearly a decade fighting to tear up the way the world priced iron ore. In his words, "I carry the scars on my back for bringing this matter to the attention of the world." After the most turbulent decade in recent commodity market history, he won. Iron ore would float on the open market. We relive the fight, and look at it in the context of today's standoff, with China's state buyer CMRG organising to claw back power from the Aussie majors. ……………    TIMESTAMPS  (0:00) BHP Ends the Benchmark(7:10) How Annual Pricing Worked(10:50) China Enters the Picture(16:50) Meet Marius Kloppers(22:50) 2000s Price Shocks and Freight(28:50) Kloppers Pushes Market Pricing(34:40) Takeover Bid and Benchmark Cracks(40:40) GFC Fallout and Contract Defaults(47:30) Stern Hu Arrest and Spot Victory(56:10) CMRG Returns, Price Wars……………    Join 19k+ subscribers to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Director’s Special⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:one daily email with all the news that matters in mining  ……………    PARTNERS  Thank you to the mining services businesses that make this content possible:  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sandvik Ground Support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – The only ground supportyou’ll ever need• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Titan Recruitment⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Specialists in engineering and technology recruitment• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Focus by Marketech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – All your mining news and market needs in one powerful platform | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠10-day free trial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SS&C Intralinks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Powering deals with unmatched security and efficiency• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Exceed Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Diversify your portfolio with Exceed’s property trusts……………    FOLLOW & CONNECT • YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MoneyofMine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   • Twitter / X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@moneyofminepod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  • Travis Ricciardo: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TRAVmoneyofmine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  • Jonas Dorling: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@JDmoneyofmine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  • Email us Word on the Decline: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gc@moneyofmine.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ……………   DISCLAIMER  All information in this podcast is for education andentertainment purposes only and is of general nature only. Please ensure you read our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠full disclaimer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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