"It's very difficult to foresee what's going to happen to copper prices, but the market remains strong and should stay that way," Sartain said at a press conference in Chile.
Illegality in the mining sector has deprived state governments of badly needed revenues, threatened the industry with costly and unpredictable shutdowns, and generated political chaos that helped bring down two state governments in 2011 and 2012.
Argentina's mining exports have virtually ground to a halt and companies are stockpiling gold, copper and other minerals due to foreign exchange rules that are impossible to comply with, a top industry executive said Tuesday.
Asset manager at JPMorgan, Neil Gregson, says mining companies should pursue more takeovers as escalating costs prompt them to slow spending on expansions.
We continue to collaborate closely with our suppliers and advisers, the regulatory authorities of the Government of Andalucía and the project financiers with a view to triggering the Rio Tinto Copper Mine by the end of 2012.
