Glencore leads the tumble down the slope, along with Anglo American PLC, BHP Billiton Ltd., Rio Tinto Group and Fortescue Metals Group. Meanwhile, Amur Minerals Corporation holds its ground, comfortably seeing through the 2015 field season.

Glencore is going, going and almost gone

Glencore and Anglo American were warned by Investec Limited that their value would greatly diminish unless they implement a radical restructuring. After Investec analyst Hunter Hillcoat’s ruthless report, Glencore has seen its share prices go through all-time lows. With the mining industry heavily unstable now, major mining companies are in a mad scramble for stability.

With China’s economic slowdown, BHP Billiton Ltd. fell as much as 5.8 percent in Sydney while Rio Tinto Group lost 5.2 percent and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. dropped 5.3 percent. This follows the Glencore gloom of a 30 percent plunge in its shares in London on Monday, worsened by the concern mounted about the commodity trader’s debt load.

As panic selling has ensued, confidence will take a while to come back, especially not when the Bloomberg World Mining Index of producers fell 1 percent on Tuesday, hiking this year’s loss to 34 percent.

Amur is doing well amidst industry chaos

Amur Minerals Corporation (London AIM: AMC) has been doing well, with its principal asset Kun-Manie sulphide, nickel, copper project yielding results beyond expectations. With the mining licence secured, the project was able to move into development stage. The Equity Swap Agreement has proven to be good, on the back of the share price performance with cash balances standing at more than US$8 million [AU$11.3 million].

"The first half of 2015 saw the achievement of a major milestone for the company with the award of the production licence. There remains a substantial amount of work as we continue to advance Kun-Manie from exploration to pre-production, but with Russia's commitment to the development of the Far East and the dedication of our own staff, we have great opportunity to progress from a pure explorer to become a nickel sector player," said Chief Executive Robin Young.

Its positive streak continues as Amur Minerals stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by SP Angel , as indicated in its most recent note issued to investors. While the mining sector was a rock solid foundation for the London equity market, the industry shakeup has reduced it to an anchor, with Amur one of the few holding it steady.

Amur boom, Glencore doomed

Amur is expected to have no problems going through 2015, but they have more to do to be a major player in the nickel industry. The Russia-focused miner’s cash balances are enough to pay for metallurgical test works and complete the independent audit of the latest performance evaluation. Medium term plans include development of a detailed feasibility study and identification of suitable funding options for Kun Manie mine.

Glencore’s share prices, on the other hand, continue to suffer. According to analysts, unless the Swiss-headquartered company implements a serious and vigorous change in its business, its present market capitalisation of more than £10 billion [AU$21.4 billion] will do it no good and its share prices will continue to slide.

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