Switzerland: Glencore lifts copper output

Glencore Xstrata’s copper output rose by a fifth in the first half of this year, driven by the ramp-up of mines replacing depleted operations and a stronger performance in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the mining and trading firm said yesterday. Glencore, which is due to report full half-year earnings next week, gave no update on its closely watched trading division, but met market expectations with higher volumes in copper, coal and agricultural products. Among diversified mining firms, it has the biggest exposure to copper. – Reuters