London, February 15, 2026, 11:37 (GMT) — Market closed
- Rio Tinto shares last closed Friday at 7,187 pence, down 0.33%.
- Iron ore futures eased ahead of China’s Lunar New Year break as traders cut positions.
- Investors now look to Rio’s Feb 19 annual results for dividend and cost signals.
Rio Tinto shares ended Friday at 7,187 pence, down 0.33%, after trading between 7,020 and 7,241 pence. London is shut for the weekend, so the next read comes when trade resumes on Monday. (Investing)
The stock matters for the whole tape. Rio is one of Europe’s biggest miners, and it sits in a crowded earnings week for the sector alongside Glencore, Anglo American and Antofagasta, with UK jobs and inflation data also due. (Reuters)
The timing is awkward. Metal prices ran hard in January and have turned jumpy this month, with traders watching for any sign the China demand story is stalling into the Lunar New Year lull.
Iron ore set the tone on Friday, slipping as traders wound down ahead of the break. The most-traded May contract in Dalian was down 1.51% at 752.5 yuan a tonne at 0322 GMT, while Singapore’s benchmark March contract fell 1.24% to $98.35; “hot metal” output — a gauge of steel demand — “has continued to pull back,” Navigate Commodities managing director Atilla Widnell said. (Business Recorder)
Aluminium and copper added another layer. On the London Metal Exchange (LME), aluminium fell 0.9% to $3,074 a tonne by 1700 GMT after the Financial Times reported U.S. President Donald Trump was considering rolling back some steel and aluminium tariffs, which were set as high as 50% last June. “Macro-driven risk-off sentiment and broad profit-taking continue to unwind the strong early-year rally,” said ING strategist Ewa Manthey, while Morgan Stanley’s Amy Gower said prices would only face “downward pressure” if tariff cuts extended to primary metal; Shanghai futures are set to close from Feb. 15 and reopen Feb. 24, and exchange copper inventories have pushed above 1 million tonnes. (Reuters)
For Rio, it’s the usual mix of bulk and policy. Iron ore drives earnings, but copper and aluminium can swing sentiment when tariffs and supply lines move into the headlines.
The company will publish 2025 annual results on Thursday, Feb. 19, with an announcement at about 05:30 GMT and a presentation and Q&A later in the morning. Chief executive Simon Trott and finance chief Peter Cunningham are due to host the webcast. (Rio Tinto)
Investors will sift any shift in production guidance, costs and cash returns, and they will listen hard for how management frames demand once China’s holiday break clears. Weather and shipping chatter won’t go away either after the cyclone disruptions flagged in iron ore markets.
But the setup cuts both ways. A deeper slide in iron ore while China is quiet, or cautious language on steel demand, can hit the shares quickly; a tariff rethink could also reshape aluminium trade flows and regional pricing.
London trading resumes on Monday, with miners in focus as earnings roll in through the week. The next hard catalyst for Rio Tinto stock is Thursday’s annual results release at about 05:30 GMT.
