The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that the rush to precious metals has given mining stocks a powerful boost. The Globe's Ian McGugan writes that results released after the market closed on Wednesday offer hope that more gains may be ahead, although it also hinted at some potential problems. Agnico Eagle was a standout, reporting profit of $19-million for the most recent quarter, nearly double the $10.1-million it generated in the same period a year earlier (all figures U.S.). The miner beat expectations for revenue and adjusted earnings and announced that it was boosting its dividend by 25 per cent (to 10 cents a quarter from eight cents). It also said it had received the final permit necessary for construction to begin at its Meliadine gold project in Nunavut. Barrick also reported a strong quarter, with profit of $138-million, or 12 cents a share, on revenue of $2.01-billion. While the earnings figures lagged forecasts, this quarter's bottom line was a major improvement from a loss of $9-million in the same period last year. Perhaps most important, Barrick continued to pay down its loans and said it remained on target to achieve its target of $2-billion in debt reduction this year.