Mining

Congo deaths are a new stick to beat Glencore

27 Jun 2019

The Swiss commodity giant’s shares fell 5% after an accident killed dozens of illegal miners at one of its DRC pits. It’s difficult for resource groups to stop these incursions. But Kinshasa’s record of miner shakedowns implies it might still find a way to penalise Glencore.

Potash makes better sense for BHP than shale

20 Jun 2019

The miner is weighing whether to press ahead with a $20 bln Canadian project, its most significant investment in years. BHP shareholders, scarred from past blunders, are understandably wary. There may be a case, though, that potash will be more like iron ore than fracked oil.

Acacia and Barrick pay price for Newmont escapade

19 Jun 2019

Barrick CEO Mark Bristow won’t sweeten his offer to minority investors of the Tanzanian gold miner. A small raise could defuse the damaging stalemate. But after an expensive and failed tilt at Newmont, Bristow is under pressure to be seen to defend his shareholders’ interests.

Thorny Acacia pricks Barrick boss’s Africa bubble

11 Jun 2019

The bullion miner’s minority shareholders look set to spurn a 226 mln pound bid from its Canadian parent, prolonging a tax row with Tanzania. That’s a blow for CEO Mark Bristow’s status as an African gold guru. His hardball tactics are also unlikely to impress other partners.

Rare-earth gun is best left in Beijing’s holster

29 May 2019

China, which dominates supply of minerals like neodymium, has hinted it might squeeze exports to the United States. In the past, similar embargos caused buyers to find substitutes; bans are hard to enforce, too. The threat suggests retaliatory options are limited.

Barrick’s lowball Acacia offer is easy to refuse

22 May 2019

The Canadian bullion producer offered to buy out minority shareholders in the Tanzanian miner at an 8% discount. That gives an out from an $180 bln tax dispute with the East African country. It’s a bitter pill, but looming arbitration gives shareholders reason not to swallow it.

Vedanta Zambia mess tarnishes Anglo breakup pitch

22 May 2019

President Edgar Lungu wants to nationalise the Indian firm’s Konkola copper mines. The hit looks manageable for owner Anil Agarwal. But falling out with a government is an eyesore, particularly if he wants investors to back a potential carve-up of Anglo American in South Africa.

British Steel rescue loan is worst of bad options

21 May 2019

The UK’s second-largest steel producer may fail without state credit. Politicians can nationalise the company if they want to save thousands of jobs in a strategic sector. Or they could let the group go bust. The worst outcome is a short-term fix that bails out private owners.

Miners have a shot at earning green halo

16 May 2019

Vale’s dam disaster was a reminder of the industry’s social and environmental pitfalls. At the same time, the likes of BHP and Glencore can tout their ability to supply future low-carbon economies. ESG activists punished coal, but they’re in position to reward diggers, too.

Thyssenkrupp shoved into a panicky Plan B

10 May 2019

The German conglomerate is binning a split after weak operations hit its shares, Reuters reports. Spinning off its elevator business instead would help, especially if the EU blocks a merger of its steel arm. But Thyssenkrupp would still need to show it can cut bloated costs.

En+ chair gets relatively meagre sanctions bonus

2 May 2019

The Russian energy group has given Chairman Greg Barker $4 mln for successfully lobbying against U.S. sanctions, Bloomberg says. En+’s market value is up $1.5 bln since it avoided the strictures. Paying 0.3 pct to detoxify its business is a reasonable exchange.

Africa uprisings carry stark oil-addiction warning

12 Apr 2019

Veteran leaders in Algeria and Sudan have been unseated. Rising unemployment, inflation and weak growth are the immediate reasons why, but a broader common theme is too heavy a reliance on crude extraction. That’s not a problem limited to Africa.

Zambia case puts corporate ethics guff on notice

11 Apr 2019

Britain’s Supreme Court says Vedanta can be sued in London for pollution offences in the African state. Multinationals have tended to trumpet corporate social responsibility at head office, while ignoring sins at subsidiary level. Whatever the case’s outcome, that will change.

Oligarchs take U.S. sanctions risk in their stride

8 Apr 2019

The Russian owners of Evraz recently cut their stake below 50 pct, which offsets potential heat over their Kremlin links. That doesn’t mean fellow metal groups like Severstal need to follow suit. Still, Oleg Deripaska’s recent travails imply little cause for complacency.

Iron ore surge masks Vale risks

3 Apr 2019

A fatal dam accident in January wiped almost $21 bln off the Brazilian company’s value. It has since clawed back most of that sum, thanks in part to a jump in the mineral’s price. Given the long-term cost of Vale’s second accident in three years, the recovery looks premature.

Rare-earth bid reverts Aussie conglomerate to type

26 Mar 2019

After spinning off supermarkets and selling coal, $27 bln Wesfarmers is back adding to its sprawl with a $1.1 bln offer to buy Lynas. The attraction of owning the only major producer of speciality ingredients outside China is clear, but the financial and strategic cases less so.

John Paulson gives Newmont late but valid advice

22 Mar 2019

The gold miner’s $10 billion Goldcorp offer terms aren’t good enough for the hedge fund manager, who owns a 2.7 percent stake. He has a point – recent gold deals haven’t featured premiums. But his campaign might have gained more traction had he started earlier.

Barrick wisely decides harmony is golden

11 Mar 2019

The gold miner has struck a joint venture with Newmont, an $18 bln rival it earlier tried to acquire. Both sides should win. Newmont gets to pursue its own deal with Goldcorp. Barrick shareholders are spared the risk of an aggressive merger that left them with little to gain.

Viewsroom: Hostile gold diggers

7 Mar 2019

The three-way takeover fight involving Newmont, Barrick Gold and Goldcorp is full of aggression and big egos. Breakingviews columnists unpick the gold-mining M&A frenzy and debate whether cooler heads can prevail. Plus: China telecom giant Huawei has a public-relations challenge.

Barrick can learn from mining’s golden oldies

6 Mar 2019

The gold miner seems to be warming to the idea of a joint venture rather than a merger with $18 bln rival Newmont. There’s a precedent: a decade ago BHP ditched a hostile bid for Rio Tinto in favor of a friendly iron-ore tie-up. That failed, but this time can be different.