Dear Sir,

I wonder if you would kindly write a few words about your thoughts on Glencore Xstrata (GLEN)? It is the 4th largest mineral company in the world but does not seem to move very much in spite of buying Xstrata. The company has establishments worldwide but progress appears to be minimal and their price very low compared to BHP Billiton (BLT) or Anglo American (AAL).

With many thanks, Kenneth Tyrrell (via email).

Dan Coatsworth replies: I'll look to write on Glencore in more detail once its next financial results are published. For now, here's some recent stories which may be of interest:

This one has a good overview of the company.

This article looks at the cashflow and yields for the big miners.

This article talks about the mining sector as a whole and what to look for in 2014.

If you are interested in the broader large cap mining sector, here's our view on Anglo American.