Company: Vale S.A.

Global miners BHP Billiton, Vale and Rio Tinto all posted sharp drops in quarterly iron ore production due to bad weather, a factor that has helped support iron ore prices at relatively high levels despite signs of a softening market.

Brazil's Vale, the world's No. 2 mining company, expects to win permission "within months" to unload its big, new iron-ore ships at Chinese ports, a move that will help ensure efficient delivery of raw materials to China's growing economy, a senior executive told Reuters.

Australian miners are playing down the impact of a new law in Indonesia limiting foreign ownership in mines to no more than 49 percent, even after a senior Indonesian official said the law would apply to all foreign miners.

Indonesia's central bank paused on Thursday after a series of rate cuts, and hinted at a shift in its policy stance on expectations that inflation will accelerate above its target in coming months due to a planned increase in fuel prices.

Indonesia will take more of the profits from its vast mineral resources by limiting foreign ownership of mines in a move likely to scare off new investment in the world's top exporter of thermal coal and tin.

Investors looking for leaders to continue the market rally should stop looking at miners, despite their recent performance, Nick Nelson, European equity strategist at UBS, told CNBC.

If you're looking for a market that is up almost three times the Dow, look to Brazil.

Global miner Rio Tinto announced on Wednesday a $3.4 billion expansion of iron ore mining in Australia, where it has mapped out a plan to lift capacity by more than 50 percent in anticipation of growing demand from Chinese steel mills.

Brazilian miner Vale said on Wednesday its plan to expand the world's fleet of very large ore carriers nearly five-fold has not changed since China banned the mega vessels in local waters to protect its shipping industry.

China banned a giant new class of ship from its ports on Tuesday, a move that checks efforts by mining giant Vale to cut the cost of shipping iron ore to its largest market and risks straining trade relations with Brazil.

On average elite bankers from around the world saw a 21 percent risk of the 17-nation single currency breaking up in five years. They concluded markets see a 35 percent chance the euro will not exist in its current form.

Top executives at Davos have been given notice: to attract the best young employees, they will have to shake their "1 percent" stigma, and improve their corporate reputations.

Brazilian miner Vale has not yet sold its first mega iron ore cargo delivered to China two weeks ago, and has instead stored the material near a port for now, traders said on Wednesday. 

The first of Vale's giant dry bulk vessels to arrive in China has completed delivery of its iron ore cargo, shipping data showed on Tuesday, a key step forward in the Brazilian miner's plan to cut shipping costs to its biggest market.

Australia has lifted its forecast for iron ore exports by 2.4 percent to a record 460 million tonnes in 2011/12 as producers dig more mines to feed a growing hunger in China for imported ore to make steel.