Vale output expected to tease record levels despite dam disaster

Vale SA’s relentless expansion is expected to keep the world’s biggest iron-ore miner near record output levels despite the hobbling effects of last year’s Samarco dam burst on its Brazilian operations. The Rio de Janeiro-based miner will report second-quarter output of 86-million metric tons, including third-party purchases, according to the average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. That compares with a second-quarter record of 89.3-million a year earlier, and 77.5-million in the first quarter, when Vale’s production is typically lower.