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Rio Tinto is a leading global mining and metals group. The company's primary product groups are iron ore, aluminum, copper, and diamonds & minerals. The company is based in London. It has approximately 57,000 employees.

U.S. stock indices are solidly higher at midday on Monday. Traders seem to be in an upbeat mood ahead of major earnings and economic news this week. Also helping multiple market sectors is a significant drop in the price of oil, this as Israeli airstrikes against Iran over the weekend did not include energy-related targets.

Vale is a large global miner and the world’s largest producer of iron ore and pellets. In recent years the company has sold noncore assets such as its fertilizer, coal, and steel operations to concentrate on iron ore, nickel, and copper. Earnings are dominated by the bulk materials division, primarily iron ore and iron ore pellets. The base metals division is much smaller, consisting of nickel mines and smelters along with copper mines producing copper in concentrate. In 2024, Vale sold a minority 10% stake in energy transition metals, its base metals business, likely the first step in separating base metals and iron ore.

BHP is a global diversified miner mainly supplying iron ore and copper. The merger of BHP Limited and Billiton PLC created the present-day BHP Group. The dual-listed structure from the 2001 BHP and Billiton merger was collapsed in 2022. Major assets include Pilbara iron ore and Escondida copper. Onshore US oil and gas assets were sold in 2018 and the remaining Petroleum assets were spun off and merged with Woodside in 2022, with BHP vesting the Woodside shares it received to BHP shareholders. It purchased copper miner Oz Minerals in fiscal 2023 and is entering the potash market through the development of its Jansen project in Canada. However, due to low nickel prices, BHP is placing its nickel business on care and maintenance in late 2024.