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Glencore has been at the eye of the storm over its exposure to a slowing Chinese economy and its $29.5 billion (£19.5 billion) debt pile, which the Swiss-based company has been forced by shareholders to slice with a series of self-help measures to raise $10 billion.

The call follows the most tumultuous day in Glencore’s five-year spell on public markets as the FTSE 100 company sank a staggering 29 per cent. The fall followed a note from Investec which said the shares could be worthless.

But while analysts and investors were trying to figure out how trading could save a company in crisis, several traders were leaving the firm after what industry sources said were trades that failed to reward the big risks taken and the large amounts of capital employed.

By Tuesday afternoon the company’s stock had risen to 82 pence a share on a volatile day of trading.

Back in 1993, a disastrous attempt to corner the world zinc market cost Glencore $172m (£113m) and nearly bankrupted the company.

Another prominent bear, Goldman Sachs, said last week in a note that Glencore had failed to do enough to reassure investors about cutting its debt pile.

It also announced it will stop paying dividends to its shareholders.

Glencore (GLEN.L) slumped more than 15 percent to a new all-time low after a bearish note from broker Investec that raised doubts over the mining and commodities company’s valuation and high debt levels.