analysis

Over the past 48 hours, Jonathan Price, the chief executive of Teck Resources Ltd. TECK-B-T , has reeled off benefits that will come from Anglo American PLC’s NGLOY takeover of Canada’s critical minerals champion. Yet after all the explanations, two questions remain unanswered: Why this deal? And why now?

Of all the options available, why did Teck settle for a full-blown sale, instead of, say, a joint venture on its troubled Chilean mine? And why is Teck, a copper miner (among other metals), selling itself while its stock is struggling? There is endless talk about the dearth of copper assets around the world but Teck didn’t even demand a premium on its shares.

These questions matter because, until very recently, Teck was considered so crucial to Canada’s future in a gre

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