The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, March 8, edition that miners are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, as commodity prices rise and optimism seeps back into sector, financiers say. The Globe's Rachelle Younglai writes that as confidence now grows along with share prices and profits, mining companies are cautiously exploring ways to expand. Big companies such as Goldcorp have said they are eyeing partnerships with other miners to share the risks of building and operating mines. Barrick Gold is taking small steps forward, such as studying the prospects of an underground mine at its suspended South American project. Investors are moving back into the sector and starting to take note of the quality of the medium-sized and smaller mining companies, some of which acquired assets from the larger miners that were forced to divest in a cash crunch. RBC analyst Ryan Latinovich says he is spending most of his time with asset managers talking about smaller companies that have star potential. That is a change from last year, when investors were focused mostly on the biggest players. Alternative forms of capital from the likes of private equity are no longer popular.