Weak commodity prices, declining grades and a falloff in demand from China will continue the global mining sectors' downward cycle well into 2016. However, regulatory mandates, tax burdens and stakeholder expectations remain as high as ever. T
his is according to the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited's Mining Tracking the Trends 2016 report released this Monday.
"It's an interesting time in the mining industry, just as during the super cycle, people imagined prices would go up forever, people now imagine the market will never recover," said Philip Hopwood, Deloitte's Canadian and Global Mining Leader. "Neither extreme is true, but cycle times are lengthening, which means it could take years to adjust to current market forces -- but it's still a cycle."