Falling commodity prices and its Samarco dam collapse have cost BHP Billiton dearly in its full year results. The financial impact on income from the dam disaster came to US$2.2 billion. Weaker commodity prices had a negative impact of US$10.7 billion.

Company expenditure on capital and exploration also declined by 42% to US$6.4 billion and is expected to decrease by a further US$5 billion in 2017.

• Net profit: -US$6.38 billion
  (￬-435.7%)
• EBIT^†: $3.5 billion
• Earnings*: -120¢
• Dividend*: 30¢

Fortescue Metals managed to shrug off the impact of a decline in the spot price of iron ore which decreased its revenue by 17%, to increase profit by 212% from last year.

The miner attributes the profit to reducing capital expenditure, reduced to US$304 million from US$626 million last year, and operating costs.

• Net profit: US$985 million
  (￪211.7%)
• EBIT^†: US$7.1 billion
• Earnings*: 31.6¢
• Dividend*: 12¢

The gold miner’s profit was depleted by gold and copper prices to the tune of US$263 million but foreign exchange had a positive influence on profit by US$233 million.

• Net profit: US$323 million
  (￬23.8%)
• Revenue: $3.3 billion
• Earnings*: N/A
• Dividend*: 7.5¢

In its first year after its demerger from BHP Billiton, South32 posted a loss in revenue of 25%.

• Net profit: -US$1.6 billion
  (￬105.7%)
• EBIT^†: $356 million
• Earnings*: -30.3¢
• Dividend*: 1¢