Vale is the world's largest producer of iron ore and a top nickel miner, reported a quarterly net profit of $4.67 billion, compared to $5.9 billion in the same quarter last year.
The company, advancing iron ore projects in Sweden and Finland, decided to increase the size of the equity offering announced earlier in February due to "high demand" . Together with a fully subscribed bond offering the company is now raising close to $700 million.
Fortescue Metals was up 5% Monday on rumours that Canadian coal and copper/zinc miner Teck Resources is making a play for the third-largest iron ore producer in Australia.
Although some Asian firms have found creative ways of doing business with Iran, European iron ore traders and shipping companies are shying away completely from transacting with the country as US-led sanctions start to have an impact.
After achieving a toe-hold in Afghanistan with the award of a major iron ore contract, Indian companies are turning their attention to the troubled country's copper and gold reserves.
A BAEconomics report, commissioned by Rio Tinto to look into the benefits and costs of autonomous technology, has concluded that investment in mining technology and innovation should sustain long-term competitiveness while also providing the broader economic benefits likely to flow from a strong mining industry. The report, titled Autonomous and remote operation technologies in the mining industry: benefits and costs examines the advances in new technology, showing that while the costs and challenges of automation in the mining sector are substantial, they are potentially far outweighed by the benefits they can deliver.