The Globe and Mail attempts to identify Canadian precious metals and other mining companies positioned to leverage a weakening Canadian dollar in its Wednesday, Jan. 13, edition. The Globe's guest columnist Khaled Eniba writes in the Number Cruncher column that while the S&P/TSX composite index suffered its worst start to the year since 1998, bullish sentiment toward gold drove the S&P/TSX precious metals index toward a 5.1-per-cent gain in its first week of January. Mr. Eniba looked for potentially undervalued companies within the sector with strong balance sheets, high operating margins and upward price momentum. He looked for companies experiencing a positive trend reversal. He looked for low price-to-book values. A lower figure could mean the stock is undervalued. Mr. Eniba also searched for an EBITDA margin greater than 20 per cent. As well, he looked for companies with a good ability to service their debt obligations. Gold stocks that appear to be regaining their shine are Lucara Diamond, Primero Mining, Lake Shore Gold, Endeavour Mining and Richmont Mines.