Anglo American and Freeport's credit ratings were recently slashed to well below investment grade – other marquee mining names may soon share the same fate.
When the worst collapse of commodity prices in nearly two decades finally ends, mining companies left standing probably will have more robots on their side.
Goldman Sachs report is the latest in a long line of grim warnings, all of which point to a future of shuttered power plants, mine closures, and bankruptcies.
Many traders wonder if these eye-popping gains are merely the product of fleeting sentiment that could reverse anytime, or are supported by strong underlying fundamentals.