Agarwal’s £2bn gambit could put Anglo American into play

(miningmx.com) - Anil Agarwal’s £2bn investment in Anglo American shares, giving his trust – Volcan Investments – a 13% stake in the UK-listed firm, was an attempt to flush out rival bidders for Anglo’s assets or buy the South African assets identified by CEO, Mark Cutifani, as non-core, said analysts. “From a strategic point of view, some kind of deal could potentially hand Anglo a solution to their problem of perceived ‘over-weighting’ towards South Africa,” said Paul Gait, an analyst for Bernstein. “It could put Agarwal in a prime position to take the South African assets – the African limb he desires for Vedanta – and allow Anglo American to achieve the kind of South Africa exit that it, in turn, desires,” he said.