Barrick CEO says he has plenty of financial firepower for deals

Barrick Gold’s chief says the gold miner has the financial heft it needs to support its loftiest ambitions – and some day those might include a merger with Freeport-McMoRan.

“Barrick, by end of next year, or during next year, will be net debt zero,” CEO Mark Bristow said Thursday in a phone interview. “We’ve definitely got the firepower to build a mine or to support a transaction. We don’t need any external support, for any of our ambitions, as we stand today.”