Australia's Port Hedland iron ore shipments down in October

Iron ore shipments from Australia's Port Hedland, one of the world's largest export terminals, slipped to 19.9 million tonnes in October from 20.0 million in September, data released by the port authority showed on Monday, Reuters reports. Shipments to China, the port's biggest destination, eased to 14.7 million tonnes in October from 15.1 million in September, according to the data. BHP Billiton is the port's biggest user, followed by Fortescue Metals Group Ltd .