Deals
Rio Tinto and Glencore Spoke for Months About Deal That Was Once Taboo
- Talks show how mining industry is gripped by mega-deal fever
- BHP’s unsuccessful move on Anglo catalyzed a wave of activity
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When Glencore Plc proposed a combination with Rio Tinto Group a decade ago, the larger company turned it down after just a few days. News this week that the two spent several months in negotiations in the second half of last year shows how the sands have shifted, just as mega-deal fever sweeps the global mining industry.
Rio’s firm and immediate rejection in 2014 of what would have been the largest ever deal in the global mining industry kicked off a months-long public feud that made painfully clear a vast gulf between the two companies’ cultures. Glencore boss Ivan Glasenberg accused Rio of misunderstanding the iron ore market, while his counterpart at Rio criticized Glencore’s traders as short-termist.