Beeb article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7774698.stm 

The world's third-largest mining firm, Rio Tinto, is cutting 14,000 jobs as part of plans to reduce its debt by $10bn (£6.8bn) by the end of next year.

Anybody know who the world's largest and second-largest mining firms are?

---

I think BHP Billiton are the largest

Dont know who's next but Anglo American must be up there somewhere

---

Here's a list of the Worlds top ten mining stocks priced from high to low & based on Market Cap (share price multiplied by number of shares in circulation) in USD - billions, as of 11/12/08 (source: Mineweb top 100 mining stocks list).


1. BHP Billiton - 100.96 USD bn
2. Vale - 63.80 USD bn
3. Rio Tinto - 60.08 USD bn
4. Shenhua - 45.40 USD bn
5. Anglo American - 29.66 USD bn
6. PotashCorp - 24.70 USD bn
7. Barrick - 21.79 USD bn
8. Norilsk - 17.23 USD bn
9. Xstrata - 16.89 USD bn
10. Goldcorp - 16.75 USD bn

Since around mid-May 2008, the world's top 100 mining stocks, measured by value, have lost two-thirds of their market value, measured on a weighted basis. This is equal to a contraction of USD 1.7 trillion. By now, reasons for the fall, from the global financial markets crisis, to chilled to frozen debt markets, and a slowing world economy, are as well talked about as climate change.

At this time, the world's 100 biggest mining stocks carry an aggregated market value of USD 771bn (with nearly USD 400bn contributed by the top ten listed above), a respectable figure by any count :smartass:

Jim

---

Thanks for such a detailed response Jimbo 🙂

---