Mining commodities have seen an uptick due to the current
flooding around Brisbane, Australia. An example being Iron Ore,
which is key to the production of Steel.  The enormous scope of
these floods is astounding and has affected an area roughly the
size of Germany. Mining giant Rio Tinto (RIO) has limited Iron
Ore operations in this region, but due to rising water levels
access to ports has been severely disrupted.  It’s no secret
that commodities are especially sensitive to natural disasters.
 However, I found this case particularly interesting because we
see how RIO has made its bed with Steel over the past five
years.   As both the country and the Mining companies cope with
the damages from this disaster, I would expect a continued drag
on both the Aussie dollar and RIO as the country gets back to
business as usual. People are underestimating just how bad it
is. A better estimate that these floods may result in the loss
of around 1% of GDP for the year.   - Sifiso Takirambudde