The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that after markets close on Wednesday, four major gold producers -- Agnico Eagle Mines, Barrick Gold, Goldcorp and Kinross Gold -- will roll out their second-quarter results within minutes of one another. The Globe's Ian McGugan writes that the flurry of reports will indicate how the industry is coping with an unexpected outbreak of prosperity. Gold is up about 25 per cent on the year, closing just below $1,325 an ounce on Friday. Until recently, miners swore they had learned important lessons from the previous boom, when gold prices quintupled between 2003 and 2012. They failed to turn those enormous gains into lasting value for shareholders, thanks to out-of-control spending and foolish acquisitions. The big producers vowed to never again get caught up in a spending war. Most said they would focus on patiently reducing debt, selling off non-core assets and slashing costs. The sudden revival of interest in precious metals, however, has cooled the austerity rhetoric. Producers now have a tempting rationale for returning to the far more exciting business of boosting output -- if, that is, they are willing to bet on the staying power of this gold rally.