This Month
Rio Tinto to sell up to $15b of assets, cut decarbonisation spending
In his first strategy briefing since taking the helm 102 days ago, chief executive Simon Trott said he wanted Rio to become the world’s “most valued” miner.
Rio Tinto waves a $15b carrot in front of investors
In new chief executive Simon Trott’s view, the miner must simply get sharper and make more effective decisions. That’s possible only with a leaner organisation.
Aussie dollar stuck in low gear despite RBA rate hike talk
The Australian dollar is defying strategists’ expectations and behaving more like a tired commuter than a currency ready to rally.
November
Fortescue shoulders hefty costs after settling Element Zero case
Andrew Forrest’s miner has dropped its claims of intellectual property theft, ending a bitter legal battle in which private investigators spied on former staff.
BHP looks just a little desperate after yet another Anglo rejection
If Mike Henry felt he needed to stretch the miner in another tilt at Anglo, is BHP’s existing copper portfolio quite as good as it’s been telling the market?
China’s debt shock is coming. Our high house prices won’t protect us
Within three years, Beijing must rebalance from investment to consumption, putting downwards pressure on iron ore prices. Australia’s economy isn’t ready.
Iron ore above $US100 has traders scratching their heads
Fresh off its worst week since February, the steel-making ingredient fell again on Monday ahead of the inauguration of Rio Tinto’s giant mine in Guinea.
Italian group comes calling for WA rail contractor in $180m deal
The deal spells a $180 million payday for Ian Abbot and Chris Prior, two blue-collar workers who started the business seven years ago.
Rio Tinto’s Simandou mine could blow $10b hole in the federal budget
What economists consider the “dagger in the heart” of Australia’s iron ore mining industry could ruin the government’s hopes of restoring its coffers.
October
Rio Tinto’s new corporate structure may trigger senior manager exits
Simon Trott has unveiled a new organisation that moves power closer to the mines, and aims to cut “confusion” and “duplication”.
As mining stocks surge, the ASX could break this unwanted streak
Analysts have upgraded the earnings outlook for Australia’s mining sector, placing the ASX 200 on track to break three years of shrinking earnings.
China links? ASX hopeful Ivanhoe Atlantic doth protest too much
Ivanhoe Atlantic is pitching itself as an American first company as China and the Trump administration spar over minerals.
The country’s iron ore giants are walking a tightrope with Beijing
BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue are all confronting challenges – and responding differently – as they work on ties with their single most important buyer.
Rio Tinto seeking an asset-for-equity swap with Chinalco: Reuters
The deal with the state-owned miner, otherwise known as Aluminum Corp of China, would cut its 11 per cent stake in the leading global mining group.
New Rio Tinto chief executive vows to cut layers, simplify structure
Simon Trott also told an investor briefing that he would limit spending on lithium projects to only the very best assets in the iron ore giant’s portfolio.
Funny buggers about BHP’s China iron ore may have serious consequences
The miner says its tense negotiations with the Chinese are nothing out of the ordinary. But the fact they’ve taken a strange turn this year is telling.
Rio Tinto says ‘front-loaded’ economy drives iron ore price surge
Prices for Australia’s most lucrative export commodity have surged to the highest level since February despite a pricing stoush with China.
Rio Tinto and Japanese partners approve $1.1b Pilbara mine
Expansion comes as iron ore rival BHP praises links with Tokyo amid a continuing pricing deadlock with China.
BHP-China iron ore fight not ‘particularly unusual’, says King
The miner and Beijing were “working through a commercial arrangement”, the resources minister said of the ban endangering the nation’s biggest export.
BHP iron ore shipments continue despite China deadlock
The federal opposition says the government has a ‘hands-off’ attitude to the dispute over Australia’s biggest export.