Just wonder why the Iron ore chart in the library starts only in 2008. Is there another source for 50 years of iron prices?

Eoin Treacy's view

Thank you for this question which may be of interest to other subscribers. Iron-ore is not traded on a futures exchange. Historically prices have been fixed by contracts between the major miners and consumers with little involvement from the markets. The price for iron-ore quoted in the Chart Library is for Chinese imports at Ningbo and is used as a benchmark because China is such a dominant force in the market. We only have data since 2008 because that is when China started reporting it.  

Iron-ore prices broke out of an 18-month range in October and some consolidation of that gain is now underway. A sustained move below the trend mean, currently near $65, would be required to question medium-term scope for additional upside. 

Vale has a relatively similar pattern.