Webgogs.... you left Xstrata out of your list of potential players...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/xstrata-glencore-deal-talk-lifts-uk-miners-2012-02-02?siteid=rss&rss=1

Feb. 2, 2012, 6:09 a.m. EST

Xstrata-Glencore deal talk lifts U.K. miners

By Clare Hutchison, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Mining stocks rallied on the British FTSE 100 index on Thursday after Xstrata PLC confirmed it was in merger talks with Glencore International PLC. The broader market traded in a narrow range with corporate earnings in focus.

The FTSE 100 UK:UKX -0.24% was down 0.2% to 5.779 in morning trading.

Mining firm Xstrata UK:XTA +10.41% and commodities giant GlencoreUK:GLEN +6.53% rallied in early trading on London’s benchmark stock index after it emerged the two firms were in merger talks. Xstrata earlier released a statement and confirmed it had received an approach from Glencore, which is now required to make an offer, or announce it will not make an offer, by March 1. Shares in Glencore gained 4.9%, while Xstrata’s stock jumped 9.4% to lead the index.

Charles Cooper, a mining-sector analyst at Oriel Securities, said the merger could create the third or fourth largest global mining company, which he said is good news for Glencore shareholders. “You’ll get a combined entity that is probably greater than the sum of the two parts,” Cooper said.

Other miners moved higher on the news, with Vedanta Resources PLC UK:VED +4.48% up 4.3% and Anglo American PLC UK:AAL +2.45% adding 2.9%. Industry giants Rio Tinto PLC and BHP Billiton PLC UK:BLT +0.46% BHP +0.62% climbed 1.3% and 0.9%, respectively.