Antofagasta posted a 22.4% plunge in first-half core earnings on Thursday on lower copper sales and metal prices due to the Covid-19 crisis, although the Chilean miner said it would pay an interim dividend in line with its existing payout policy.
The pandemic has hampered mining activity across the globe, with Antofagasta suspending the expansion of its flagship Los Pelabres mine in April for about four months, and operating with two-thirds of its workforce at all its mines.
The miner said the realised copper price dropped 12.5% in the period, while its sales of the red metal were down 2.2%.