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The 25 top global mining
companies were worth an aggregate $818.2-billion at the end of January, a 15.5%
increase compared with their value in the corresponding month in 2017, when the
same companies held a value of $708.5-billion, research firm S&P's Global
Market Intelligence said on Monday.
A similar group of companies that held the top 25 positions
at this time a year ago was worth an aggregate $680.83-billion.
The firm further found that out of the 25 top miners, 21
recorded gains in valuation during January.
The ranking of the top five companies remained unchanged
compared with year-end 2017, and BHP Billiton Group remained the world's most
valuable mining company, with its market value having increased by more than
6.8% year-on-year to $124.9-billion.
A year ago, China Molybdenum and Shaanxi Coal Industry were
both ranked outside the top 25 mining companies, at thirty-sixth and
forty-third place, respectively. However, they have now entered into the top 25
companies with the help of triple-digit percentage improvements in market
valuation year-on-year.
Shaanxi Coal achieved the second biggest improvement in
market capitalisation (cap), jumping 106.3% to $15.9-billion and advancing to
twentieth place. The company said on January 19 that it expected net
attributable profit for 2017 to have jumped by between 263% and 285% to reach
between 7.25-billion Chinese yuan and 7.85-billion yuan.
The two companies also rose sharply month-on-month. Shaanxi
Coal was up 26.8% and China Molybdenum was up 13.9% compared with end-December.
Zijin Mining Group at 17.8%, Anglo American at 15.1%, Coal India at 14% and
South32 at 12.6%, were the other companies with significant increases in market
cap since the end of 2017.
London-listed Anglo American and PJSC Norilsk Nickel swapped
positions at number six and seven, as the latter's market value only grew 9.7%
compared with Anglo's 15.1% improvement.
Norilsk Nickel reported that it had completed a
reconfiguration programme at the Talnakh concentrator and this increased ore
processing, boosting the company's fourth-quarter 2017 metals output across the
board.
Chile-based lithium producer Sociedad Quimica y Minera de
Chile experienced a decline in its market cap to $14.8-billion and, as a
result, recorded the steepest drop in the rankings, slipping four places since
end-December to twenty-first place. Barrick Gold, Franco-Nevada and Fresnillo,
with respective market caps of $16.7-billion, $14.1-billion and $13.9-billion,
were the other companies that suffered declines in market valuation.