Barrick Gold founder and chairman Peter Munk has firmly dismissed suggestions the company is shifting its focus away from gold in its $C7.3 billion
($7.08 billion) bid for Perth-based copper miner Equinox Minerals .

Barrick, the world’s largest gold producer, has come under pressure from investors since the Equinox bid on Monday. The main criticism has been that it will cut the gold-to-copper production ratio, often an important factor in valuing goldminers.