Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares are on the slide on Friday morning.
At the time of writing, the mining giant's shares are down over 6% to $142.64.
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Why are Rio Tinto shares sinking?
Investors have been selling the company's shares this morning after responding negatively to a massive announcement.
According to the release, Rio Tinto and Glencore (LSE: GLEN) have been engaging in preliminary discussions about a possible combination of some or all of their businesses. This could include an all-share merger between the two mining giants.
As things stand, the two parties' current expectation is that any merger transaction would be effected through the acquisition of Glencore by Rio Tinto by way of a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement.
However, it has warned that there can be no certainty that an offer will be made or as to the terms of any such offer, should one be made.
It also stressed that nothing in this announcement will be construed as indicating any terms of any such transaction or offer. Rio Tinto reserves the right to introduce other forms of consideration and vary the mix or composition of consideration of any offer.
In accordance with London stock exchange rules, Rio Tinto will have until 5.00 p.m. (London time) on 5 February 2026 to either announce a firm intention to make an offer for Glencore or to advise that no offer will be made.
What is Glencore?
Rio Tinto is of course the world's biggest iron ore miner and has a market capitalisation of about US$142 billion.
Glencore is valued at US$65 billion as of its last close and is one of the world's largest global diversified natural resource companies. It is a major producer and marketer of more than 60+ commodities that advance everyday life.
The company notes that its customers are industrial consumers, such as those in the automotive, steel, power generation, battery manufacturing and oil sectors. It also provides financing, logistics and other services to producers and consumers of commodities.
In 2024, it generated US$14.4 billion in adjusted EBITDA and US$3.2 billion in marketing adjusted EBIT.
Should the merger go ahead, it would create a monster with a market value of over US$200 billion (~A$300 billion).
However, only time will tell if that will be the case. Glencore and Rio Tinto have looked at a merger in the past, with no deal ultimately being reached. And it appears the market isn't overly keen on the plan, based on the way Rio Tinto shares are performing today.
