"7 (Bloomberg) -- BHP Billiton Ltd., Vale SA and Rio Tinto Group, the world's three largest mining companies, are set for record profit totaling $52 billion as they accelerate earnings growth at the expense of their biggest customers. . The companies, also the largest iron-ore exporters, may post an average 66 percent jump in the annual earnings they report this year compared with 2007, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. In contrast, ArcelorMittal, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Posco and Nippon Steel Corp., the largest publicly traded steelmakers, may see an average 31 percent slump in profit over the same duration. . The contrasting fortunes will probably widen further this half should steelmakers fail to pass on rising iron ore and coal costs, forecast" [1]

"Headlines Bid Offer High Low Open Close Vol (Total) Trade Price Trade Vol Trade Time 351 08:41 BHP Billiton reports record half-year profits and hikes dividend . BFN . Mining group BHP Billiton today reported record financial results including underlying EBITDA up 60% to $17.3bn in the half-year to end-December. Attributable profit (excluding exceptional items) was up 88% at $10.7bn. Underlying EBIT was up 74% to $14.8bn and strong margins and returns are reflected by the increase in underlying EBIT margin to 46% and underlying return on capital to 41%. BHP said the consistent deployment of capital towards high quality growth projects delivered half yearly production records across three commoditie" [2]

"iReport --> BHP posts record half-year profits . (FT) -- BHP Billiton has expanded its share buy-back scheme to $10bn after reporting record first-half profits on the back of boom prices for iron ore, coal and copper. . The strong operating result follows a tough few months for the Anglo-Australian miner which has faced pressure to hand back more cash to shareholders after it failed to complete two large transactions. . Its long campaign to combine its iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia with those of Rio Tinto collapsed in October due to widespread industry oppos" [3]

"reached a verbal agreement to buy about 80 percent of gold explorer Ventana Gold Corp. in a deal that values the company at C$1.54 billion ($1.56 billion). . The market news is quoted as saying: . The deal will give Batista 100 percent of Ventana and access to 3.5 million ounces of gold, as well as silver and copper deposits in Colombia. Batista, who is planning to sell shares in a Colombian coal mine, follows Anglo American Plc, BHP Billiton Ltd. and Xstrata Plc, in tapping the nation’s metal reserves at a time of near-record gold prices. Carlos Slim, the world’s richest person according to Forbes Magazine, said last week" [4]

"--> Marius Kloppers, CEO of Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton, announces record profits in Sydney. The world's top miner said half-year profits surged 72 percent to US$10.52 billion as emerging markets snap up raw materials and the West edges out of its economic slump. (AFP/Torsten Blackwood) . SYDNEY (AFP) - The world's top miner BHP Billiton Wednesday said half-year net profits surged 72 percent to $10.52 billion as emerging markets snap up raw materials and the West edges out of its economic slump.BHP, which was foiled in takeover plans for Canadian fertiliser giant Potash Corp. and an Australian iron ore merger with arch-" [5]

"SYDNEY, Feb 15, 2011 (Dow Jones Commodities News Select via Comtex) -- Australian Greens party leader Bob Brown renewed his call Wednesday to reinstate the government's original, more aggressive mining tax proposal, on the morning that BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) reported a 72% increase in first-half net profit to a record US$10.52 billion. . The original proposal would have made resource companies liable for a 40% tax on profits made from the exploitation of non-renewable resources. But Julia Gillard softened the proposal soon after she ousted Kevin Rudd as prime minister, whose plunge in popular support had much to do with an impassioned campaign of opposition to the tax from Australia's biggest resource companies. . Gillard brokered a deal with BHP, Rio Tinto Ltd. (RIO.AU) and Xstrata PLC (XT" [6]

"Bob Brown renewed his call Wednesday to reinstate the government's original, more aggressive mining tax proposal, on the morning that BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) reported a 72% increase in first-half net profit to a record US$10.52 billion . The original proposal would have made resource companies liable for a 40% tax on profits made from the exploitation of non-renewable resources. But . Julia Gillard softened the proposal soon after she ousted . Kevin Rudd as prime minister, whose plunge in popular support had much to do with an impassioned campaign of opposition to the tax from Australia's biggest resource companies. . Gillard brokered a deal with BHP, Rio Tinto Ltd. (RIO.AU) and Xs" [7]

"Shopping The Anglo-Australian firm BHP Billiton has shown its profits rise by 12.4% during the fiscal year ended in June. It s a record annual profit from the mining giant that it announced for the seventh consecutive year on the back of swelling commodity prices. ... Saks reports wider-than-expected 2nd quarter loss ... BHP Billiton (BHP.AX: Quote), the world's largest miner, on Wednesday gave its most upbeat outlook for commodities since the global downturn, reporting record iron ore shipments and setting the stage for higher metal prices in 2010. BHP Billiton's EBITDA rose 27.1% to a record $23 billion, profit in" [8]

"Breaking News Alerts by E-Mail Recently Commented Articles BHP reports record $10.5bn profit . Posted by admin Posted on Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 . . . The world s biggest mining organisation BHP Billiton has done record half-year increase interjection to clever direct and high prices. . Net distinction jumped 72% to $10.52bn (£6.5bn) in a 6 months to a finish of December, BHP said. . It also denounced skeleton to spend $80bn on new projects worldwide, and buy behind $10bn of shares from investors. . BHP pronounced it saw direct expansion negligence in 2011, though combined that mercantile conditions should" [9]

"SYDNEY -(Dow Jones)- Australian Greens party leader Bob Brown renewed his call Wednesday to reinstate the government s original, more aggressive mining tax proposal, on the morning that BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) reported a 72% increase in first-half net profit to a record US$10.52 billion. . The original proposal would have made resource companies liable for a 40% tax on profits made from the exploitation of non-renewable resources. But Julia Gillard softened the proposal soon after she ousted Kevin Rudd as prime minister, whose plunge in popular support had much to do with an impassioned campaign of opposition to the tax from Australia s biggest resource companies. . Gillard brokered a deal with BHP, Rio Tinto Ltd. (RIO.AU) and Xstrata PLC" [10]

"Transcript ANDREW ROBERTSON, PRESENTER: Overcoming supply disruptions and rising costs, BHP Billiton has reported record annual production in 13 of its commodities.. . Strong global demand saw copper and iron ore output rise 14 and 15 per cent respectively in the fourth quarter. . . However there was some gloomy news, with coking coal dropping 18 per cent. . . BHP also warned of a looming decline at its giant Escondida copper mine in Chile. . . A fall in the overnight price of oil saw shares in the world's biggest miner shed over half a per cent to close at $38.74. Video BHP reports record commodity production (Length of video item) -->" [11]

"Taking a page from integrated oil companies and making the most of high demand for commodities, BHP Billiton (BHP - Analyst Report), the world's largest mining company, has reported a record quarterly profit of nearly $15.4 billion. This amounts to an annual net profit of 14.7%, according to an AP report on the Australia-based firm this morning. . However, as Eli Hoffman at Seeking Alpha states in his blog this morning, "BHP's $131 billion bid for rival Rio Tinto (RTP) may be in trouble. Rio is expected to release strong earnings later in the month, and some investors see no reason to combine companies doing so well individually." This follows RTP's rejection of an earlier bid to take over the London-based mining conglomerate. . Zacks senior analyst Mario Ricchio has r" [12]

"BHP Billiton, the world's biggest miner, plans to pour $80 billion into expansions over the next five years rather than chase ambitious takeovers, after nearly doubling first-half profits to a record on booming demand for iron ore and copper . Recommended Stories Confused About Cameron's 'Big Society?' Francis Maude Plainly Is Too Francis Maude MP (Con) struggled to explain the 'big society' It's just a few days after Cameron's favourite Council killed off a large part of Hammersmith and Fulham's 'big society' and the national press were there to report it. So yesterday the Prime Minister lauched a fightback aimed to... Gnomeo and Juliet come up roses, but Never Let Me Go has butterfingers David Furnish and Elton John have a hit on their han" [13]

"$(document).ready(function() { activated = '{cb: cTrackingActivated}'; subId = {cb: subId}; vertical = '{cb: vertical}'; if(activated == 'yes') { $("a").click(function(ev) { href = this.href; click_x = ev.pageX; click_y = ev.pageY; req = 'width='+screen.width+'&height='+screen.height+'&click_x='+click_x+'&click_y='+click_y+'&subId='+subId+'&vertical='+vertical+'&href='+href; $.ajax({ async: false, url: "../clickRecorder.php", data: req, success: function() { alert("done"); } }); }) } }) --> --> places topics . B HP Billiton Ltd. vowed to remain disciplined in its $38.6-billion (U.S.) all-cash bid for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Ltd. after reporting a near-record annual profit and cautious short-term outlook for the Global Economy. . PHOTOS: Conference Call in pictures . BHP, the world s largest mining company, said profit nearly doubled to $12.7-billion for the Year ended June 30 driven by record sales volumes of iron" [14]

"The world s biggest miner BHP Billiton makes a record half-year profit and is promising to give back $10bn to shareholders. . More: BHP reports record $10.5bn profit Related Posts One Response so far. Name (required) Mail (required) Website --> Video Tags --> . US agent killed in Mexico attack: A US immigration and customs special agent is shot dead... http://twurl.nl/2mcpzq Visit 2 View & Share # . BHP reports record $10.5bn profit: The world's biggest miner BHP Billiton makes a record ... http://twurl.nl/mqyfvw Visit 2 View & Share # . News: US age" [15]

"Australian Greens Call For Higher Mining Tax As BHP Reports Record Profit . SYDNEY -(Dow Jones)- Australian Greens party leader Bob Brown renewed his call Wednesday to reinstate the government's original, more aggressive mining tax proposal, on the morning that BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) reported a 72% increase in first-half net profit to a record US$10.52 billion. The original proposal would have made resource companies liable for a 40% tax on profits made from the exploitation of non-renewable resources. But Julia Gillard softened the proposal soon after she ousted Kevin Rudd as prime minister, whose plunge in popular" [16]

"Vale fell 0.1 percent to 50.32 reais in Sao Paulo at 6:07 p.m. local time. Quarterly Pricing . BHP led the change to price iron-ore and coking-coal sales each quarter, saying it better reflected shifts in the market. Steelmakers opposed the move, arguing it hampered efforts to predict costs and pass them onto consumers. . “The pricing power remains firmly in favor of the miners,” Richard Knights, an analyst at Liberum Capital Ltd., said by phone from London. “The change to quarterly pricing has been significant because if we had settled iron-ore and coking- coal prices in March last year, the" [17]

"BHP Billiton, the world's biggest miner, bowed to investors with plans to hand back $10 billion through an expanded share buyback after nearly doubling its first-half profit to a record on booming iron ore and copper prices. BHP Billiton in new profit record BHP Billiton set to record biggest ever profit by British firm Guardina: Business Mining giant headed by Marius Kloppers on track to make corporate history after reporting half-yearly earnings of 9.25bn ~ BHP Billiton, the mining colossus, is on track to make corporate history this year when it records the biggest profit ever made by a British company. ~ The firm reported half-yearly underlying earnings of 9.25bn, up 74%, thanks to the commodities" [18]

"Investors Media BHP Billiton Results for the Half Year Ended 31 December 2010 . Today BHP Billiton released its Interim Results for the half year ended 31 December 2010 on 16 February 2011. . Marius Kloppers, Chief Executive Officer and Alex Vanselow, Chief Financial Officer will review the company's operating and financial performance. . The BHP Billiton Interim Results material is provided for the information of shareholders and does not constitute an invitation or inducement to enter into any investment activity relating to BHP Billiton Limited or BHP Billiton Plc Securities. BHP Billiton Results for the H" [19]

"Commodities BHP reports record quarter January 23, 2008 Miner BHP Billiton said its iron ore production in the last quarter hit a record high of 27.75 million tons due to demand from China, Bloomberg reported. Output in the three months ended December 31 was up 9% compared to a year earlier. BHP also set records for aluminum and petroleum production during the same period. The firm is under pressure to report higher outputs after Rio Tinto reported production records for iron ore, bauxite, aluminum and other commodities during the December quarter. BHP, which wants to acquire Rio Tinto for US$100 billion, has until February 6 to make a formal bid. An earlier offer in November was rejected by Rio Tinto as undervaluing its mines and growth prospects." [20]

"Merged mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd today reported a record profit for 2000/01, despite taking hits to profit from its Ok Tedi and HBI Venezuela operations. . BHP Billiton's net profit for the 12 months to 20 June 2001 was $2.007b, $426m or 27% more than the previous year. . It maintained its final dividend at 26 cents per share, but this time the dividend was fully franked compared to unfranked previously. . BHP Billiton chief executive and managing director Paul Anderson described the profit result as outstanding. . "BHP Billiton Ltd's record result of $2b was achieved despite charges to profit associated with our decision to cease further investment in HBI Venezuela and the writ" [21]

"--> Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides. It has approximately 7.3 million subscribers and an annual testing budget of approximately US$21 million. The annual Consumer Reports new car issue, released every Ap... More . Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on repor" [22]

"--> Physics Reports is a scientific journal, a review section of Physics Letters, published by Elsevier since 1971. Physics Reports publishes literature on specialized topics on physics, which are usually shorter than a monograph, oriented to physicists in all disciplines. These reports aim to make their main points intelligible to non-specialists, and provide references to original sources. . Physics Reports is a scientific journal, a review section of Physics Letters, published by Elsevier since 1971. Physics Reports publishes literature on specialized topics on physics, which are usually shorter than a monograph, oriented to physicists in all discipli" [23]

"--> Crystal Reports is a business intelligence application used to design and generate reports from a wide range of data sources. Several other applications, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, at one time bundled an OEM version of Crystal Reports as a general purpose reporting tool. Crystal Reports is a popular report writer, especially so when Microsoft bundled it with Visual Studio versions 2003 through 2008. Microsoft discontinued this practice and ... More . Crystal Reports is a business intelligence application used to design and generate reports from a wide range of data sources. Several other applications, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, at one time bundled an O" [24]

"--> A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record (in American English), vinyl record (in reference to vinyl), or simply record, is an analogue sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near the periphery and ends near the center of the disc. Phonograph records are generally described by their size ("12-inch", "10-inch", "7-inch", etc.), the rotational speed at wh... More . A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record (in American English), vinyl record (in reference to vinyl), or simply record, is an analogue sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near the periphery and ends near the center of the disc. Ph" [25]

"--> "Unconfirmed Reports" is the second episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by William F. Zorzi from a story by David Simon William F. Zorzi and was directed by Ernest Dickerson. It originally aired on January 13, 2008. The title refers to Scott Templeton's fabricated report, as well as McNulty's imaginary serial killer and the purported insults to Marlo's sexuality. While discussing the situati... More . "Unconfirmed Reports" is the second episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by William F. Zorzi from a story by David Simon William F." [26]

"--> The United States Reports are the official record of the rulings, orders, case tables, and other proceedings of the Supreme Court of the United States. Opinions of the court in each case, prepended with a headnote prepared by the Reporter of Decisions, and any concurring or dissenting opinions are published sequentially. The Court's Publication Office oversees the binding and publication of the volumes of United States Reports, although the actua... More . The United States Reports are the official record of the rulings, orders, case tables, and other proceedings of the Supreme Court of the United States. Opinions of the court in each case, prepended with a headnote prepared by the Reporte" [27]

"It was a dramatic impact, said Charles Kernot, director of metals and mining at Evolution Securities Ltd. in London. Mining companies are going to see very significant earnings growth, he said. . Rio advanced 2.9 percent in London to 4,625 pence as of 4:30 p.m. local time, the highest close since July 2008. BHP climbed 0.8 percent to 2,541.5 pence. ArcelorMittal gained 2.3 percent to 27.25 euros in Amsterdam trading. Vale fell 0.1 percent to 50.32 reais in Sao Paulo at 6:07 p.m. local time. . Quarterly Pricing . BHP led the change to price iron-ore and coking-coal sales each quarter, saying it better reflected shifts in the market. Steelmak" [28]

"--> In sports, a win loss record (also called a won-lost record or winning percentage) is the number of wins and losses accumulated by a player or team. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses. Winning percentage is one way to compare the record of two teams; however, another standard method most frequently used in baseball and professional basketball standings is games behind. Ties count as a loss and a win. If a team went 28 16 5 in a... More . In sports, a win loss record (also called a won-lost record or winning percentage) is the number of wins and losses accumulated by a player or team. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses. Winning percentage is one way to c" [29]

"--> A guide to the Kenya National Archives : to the microfilms of the provincial and district annual reports, record books, and handing-over reports, miscellaneous correspondence, and intelligence reports Similar topics in Freebase Edit this topic What is Freebase? . Freebase is a huge collection of facts, built by people like you. Freebase connects facts in ways other sites can't, giving you new ways to explore millions of subjects. You can help improve it! Flag this Topic Why do you want to flag this topic? . Freebase data is free for use under the CC-BY license. Learn more about Freebase licensing and attribution Freebase contains information on: Refresh cache Query Editor Normal view Explore Explore2 Admin view View" [30]

"Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and commentary, along with coverage of business, economic, and lifestyle issues. The company claims to have the "most comprehensive public opinion data" and uses the slogan, "If it's in the news, it's in our polls". Scott Rasmussen founded the polling company, GrassRoots Research, in 1995. His company, Rasmussen Research, was bought by TownPagesNet.com for about $4.5 million in ordinary shares in 1999. In 2003, Rasmussen founded Rasmussen Reports, based in Asbury Park, New Jersey; he is currently the president of the company. Rasmussen Reports polls make use of automated public opinion polling, involving pre-recorded teleph" [31]

"Register Login BHP Billiton reports record half-year profits and hikes dividend By BFN News 07:18 AM Wednesday 16 February, 2011 Mining group BHP Billiton today reported record financial results including underlying EBITDA up 60% to $17.3bn in the half-year to end-December. Attributable profit (excluding exceptional items) was up 88% at $10.7bn. Underlying EBIT was up 74% to $14.8bn and strong margins and returns are reflected by the increase in underlying EBIT margin to 46% and underlying return on capital to 41%. BHP said the consistent deployment of capital towards high quality growth projects delivered half yearly production records across three commodities and five businesses. Operating cash flow was $12.2bn and an ungeared balance sheet supports significant investment in organic growth that is expected to ex" [32]

"--> The News Record is the largest newspaper serving Guilford County and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, NC, and produces local sections for Greensboro, High Point, NC, and Rockingham County, North Carolina. As of October, 2010, it had an average weekday circulation of 62,074 and an average Sunday circulation of 86,087 . The News Record is owned by Landmark Communications of Norfolk, VA. On January 3, 2008, it was reported that... More . The News Record is the largest newspaper serving Guilford County and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, NC, and produces local sections for Greensboro, High Point" [33]

"$(document).ready(function() { activated = '{cb: cTrackingActivated}'; subId = {cb: subId}; vertical = '{cb: vertical}'; if(activated == 'yes') { $("a").click(function(ev) { href = this.href; click_x = ev.pageX; click_y = ev.pageY; req = 'width='+screen.width+'&height='+screen.height+'&click_x='+click_x+'&click_y='+click_y+'&subId='+subId+'&vertical='+vertical+'&href='+href; $.ajax({ async: false, url: "../clickRecorder.php", data: req, success: function() { alert("done"); } }); }) } }) --> --> places topics . B HP Billiton Ltd. vowed to remain disciplined in its $38.6-billion (U.S.) all-cash bid for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Ltd. after reporting a near-record annual profit and cautious short-term outlook for the Global Economy. . PHOTOS: Conference Call in pictures . BHP, the world s largest mining company, said profit nearly doubled to $12.7-billion for the Year ended June 30 driven by record sales volumes of iro" [34]

"--> Subscribe RSS BHP reports record iron ore shipments, helped by Chinese demand . In an upbeat outlook, BHP highlighted hefty price recoveries across key commodities, from iron ore and copper to aluminium and nickel, in the December quarter Author: James Regan (Reuters) Posted: Wednesday , 20 Jan 2010 . SYDNEY (Reuters) - . . BHP Billiton (BHP.AX: Quote), the world's largest miner, on Wednesday gave its most upbeat outlook for commodities since the global downturn, reporting record iron ore shipments and setting the stage for higher metal prices in 2010. . The company highlighted hefty price recoveries acros" [35]

"Article: BHP BILLITON REPORTS RECORD IRON ORE PRODUCTION IN 2003/04. Article from: AsiaPulse News Article date: July 28, 2004 COPYRIGHT 2009 Asia Pulse Pty Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights or concerns about this content should be directed to Customer Support. (Hide copyright information) . SYDNEY, July 28 Asia Pulse - The world's biggest diversified mining group BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) today reported record iron ore production for 2003/04, driven by strong con" [36]

"benchmark Texas Intermediate crude traded on Nymex because of record-high inventories at the contract's delivery point in Cushing, Okla. It was, after all, only in late 2009 that HSBC released a report — “The Rise of the East and the Demise of the ” — which reflected the increasingly mainstream view of the changing balance of power and gravitation of economic growth to Asia. Texas Intermediate Traders also grappled with a widening gulf between the Brent market, the North Seas oil trading in London, and New York’s benchmark, Texas Intermediate. “There’s a major debate going on over which one is a better benchmark of the" [37]

"--> The Record (colloquially called The Bergen Record or The Record of Hackensack) is a newspaper in Hackensack, New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The Star-Ledger. Owned by the Borg family since 1930, it is the flagship publication of the North Jersey Media Group. The paper is edited by Frank Scandale. The Woodland Park-based Herald News, which serves Passaic County is an edition of The Record.... More . The Record (colloquially called The Bergen Record or The Record of Hackensack) is a newspaper in Hackensack, New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The St" [38]

"HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's largest mining company, announced a surprise $10 billion share buyback Wednesday, sending its Australian-listed shares up more than 5%. . The larger-than-expected share buyback comes amid record commodity prices last year. . BHP ( , , ) ( , , ) reported net profit rose 41% to $6.2 billion for the six month period ending in December, up from $4.36 billion in the year-ago period, bolstered by strong production results for most mineral commodities, the company reported in a statement published on its Web-site Wednesday. . BHP said it saw half-year production records for aluminum, alumina, copper cathode, iron ore, magnesium ore and molybdenum. . The re" [39]

"BHP Billiton reports record annual profit, expects commodity demand to remain strong . . MELBOURNE, Australia . BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's largest mining company, has reported a record annual profit and says it expects demand for commodities to remain strong. . Net profit for the year ended June 30 climbed 14.7 percent to $15.39 billion, from $13.42 billion in the previous year, it said. . The result was in line with analysts' forecasts and underpinned by increased production and higher prices for oil, copper, iron ore, coal and manganese. . Underlying profit, or earnings before interest and tax, was $24.28 billion," [40]

"We suggest that you upgrade to the latest version of any of the following browsers: close notification Advanced Search Africa/Europe Australasia Americas Home Sector News Ferrous Metals EMAIL Diversified resources giant BHP Billiton said yesterday, in its production report for the September quarter, that the group had sought to accelerate production across the board to take advantage of high prices and rising demand for its commodities, although a number of external factors had weighed on the final figures. Nonetheless, record copper and nickel production was achieved, also due to the successful integration of the group's new Olympic Sam and Nickel West assets, in Australia. An otherwise strong performance over the quarter was marred by lower fuel volumes due to the hurricane-related production disruptions in the gulf of Mexico and unplanned downtime at the North West Shelf in Australia. But petroleum production was still higher than during the September 2004 quarter, at 31,4-million barrels of oi" [41]

"The world's biggest mining firm BHP Billiton has made record half-year profits thanks to strong demand and high prices. . Net profit jumped 72% to $10.52bn (£6.5bn) in the six months to the end of December, BHP said. . It also unveiled plans to spend $80bn on new projects worldwide, and buy back $10bn of shares from investors. . BHP said it saw demand growth slowing in 2011, but added that economic conditions should help earnings. . "While we expect a slowdown in the growth rate of global commodity demand in calendar year 2011, the economic environment still underpins a robust near-term outlook for our products," the company's chief executive Marius Klopp" [42]