Glencore copper output dips, expects strong trading profit

Glencore (GLEN.L) on Friday reported lower copper, zinc and nickel production in the first quarter but said it expects its trading division to exceed the top end of annual guidance.

The miner and trader, which is pursuing a takeover bid for Canada’s Teck Resources (TECKb.TO), left overall 2023 guidance for copper unchanged at 1.04 million tonnes, even as production fell by 5% to 244,100 tonnes in the first quarter, owing to lower grades and delays at some of its mines.

Unlike its rivals, Glencore mines thermal coal – used to generate electricity – and has a trading division that includes oil, LNG and related products in addition to metals operations that registered record profit of $6.4 billion in 2022, up 73% from the previous year.

It now expects full-year marketing earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to exceed the top end of its annual range between $2.2 billion and $3.2 billion in 2023.

Glencore last month made a $22.5 billion takeover offer for Teck, which was rejected by the Vancouver-based miner’s board as exposing its shareholders to thermal coal and energy trading. The bid included a proposed spinning out of thermal and steelmaking coal operations, rebranding the remaining company as GlenTeck.

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