I'm not hearing people talk about commodities shares being good value any more. Rising costs and a steadying of commodity prices will show up more and more in earnings.

Oil above $70 and the threat of a weakening U.S. economy are going to shake out those hangers-on in all markets. Oil affects just about everything, from companies' costs to consumers.

If they make too many concessions then the potential synergy values to them of the takeover begin to evaporate.

It's not just miners - I suspect there will be a few more industries feeling the effects of oil prices and other costs.

There'll definitely be relief when there's clarity. While you might have a couple of residual issues hanging out there, this is a fairly large step in resolving the matter.

The sale provides the business with a huge surplus of capital, some of which will be returned to shareholders, which is also a move people will savor.