They are at the sharp end of a commodities downturn which has led half of all the small mining operations in top copper exporter Chile to shut in the last eight years.
Gold miners in particular have stepped up technology investment within a falling capex budget, as the metal price in producers’ currencies has held up much better than other commodities.
Faced with record low prices for heavy crude, Canadian energy companies are sacrificing other parts of their business to keep higher-cost oil sands production going.
