Mega Miners Are Hunting for Deals After Decade on the Sidelines

  • BHP is interested in even larger deals after OZ Minerals
  • Appetite for big M&A has returned across the mining world
Rio Tinto’s focus has now shifted to lithium.Photographer: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg
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In the rush of the 2000s commodities boom, the world’s biggest miners earned a reputation as swashbuckling dealmakers, taking on rivals in an onslaught of hostile offers, massive mergersBloomberg Terminal and vicious bidding warsBloomberg Terminal.

Then it all fell apart. A series of disastrous transactions meant balance sheets got shredded, bosses got fired and investors were furious. And so, for the past decade, miners have focused on mining and the mega deals mostly dried up.