Metal and mining companies have increased their expenditure and are pursing more takeovers for the first time since 2000 , according to Bloomberg News . The world ’s 10 biggest firms will have spent a combined $ 35bn this year , while mergers and acquisitions in the industry have reached their highest in six years , stimulated by deals like Imperial Gold ’s $ 5.4bn takeover of Sterling Resources . Oct 29 2018, 3:29 AMOct 29 2018, 4:00 PMOctober 29 2018, 3:29 AMOctober 29 2018, 4:00 PM Significant moves include BHP raising its annual exploration budget and also increasing its stake in SolGold , Vale expanding its $ 1bn Brazilian copper operation , while Fortescue recently approved a $ 1.3bn project for a new iron ore mine .
Metal and mining companies have increased their expenditure and are pursing more takeovers for the first time since 2000 , according to Bloomberg News . The world ’s 10 biggest firms will have spent a combined $ 35bn this year , while mergers and acquisitions in the industry have reached their highest in six years , stimulated by deals like Imperial Gold ’s $ 5.4bn takeover of Sterling Resources . Significant moves include BHP raising its annual exploration budget and also increasing its stake in SolGold , Vale expanding its $ 1bn Brazilian copper operation , while Fortescue recently approved a $ 1.3bn project for a new iron ore mine .