Rio Tinto Reports $14.1B 2025 Net Profit

Rio Tinto, the London- and ASX-listed mining company, reported a full-year net profit of $14.1 billion for 2025, driven by higher copper production despite challenges in its core iron ore business. The results, announced Thursday, reflect a year of operational gains in key commodities from operations including the Pilbara region in Western Australia and the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia.

The company highlighted a strong performance in copper, with output rising 8 percent as underground production ramped up at Oyu Tolgoi. This helped offset weaker iron ore results, where Pilbara shipments fell 1 percent and realized prices dropped about 8 percent from the previous year. Iron ore, which accounts for roughly 60 percent of group earnings, faced headwinds from China's ongoing property sector downturn, which softened steel demand. Copper's contribution grew to nearly 30 percent of earnings, underscoring the miner's strategy to diversify toward metals critical for the global energy transition.

Underlying earnings stood at $10.87 billion, flat compared to 2024 but below analyst consensus of $11.03 billion. This marked a slight miss on expectations, attributed to rising global iron ore...