BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) on Tuesday outlined plans to form a new global metals and mining company based around its aluminium, coal, manganese, nickel and silver assets and announced profits of $13.4 billion for the year.
BHP’s shares, listed on more than a dozen exchanges with a market value of $180 billion, were punished in London, dropping more than 4% on the news.
The announcement attracted such attention that the official global website for the company crashed, leaving visitors only this message:
