Global miners seen to be in for a worse year after torrid 2015

Sydney

GLOBAL miners are battling to stay afloat after enduring one of the toughest years in recent times, with tumbling commodity prices and supply gluts set to force more closures and massive cuts in 2016, analysts say.

China's once insatiable appetite for commodities - boosted by an unprecedented investment boom in the world's second-largest economy - has waned, with its shift towards consumption-driven growth dampening demand. At the same time, large producers have continued to lift output levels, which critics say is designed to flood the market and push out smaller competitors, accelerating the decline in prices.