With all of the hoopla surrounding gold's price collapse over the past seven months, miners have been forced to make tough decisions. As first-quarter results have shown, there's more than one way to dig up profits here. When Newmont Mining (NEM 8.56%) released earnings, it displayed a reduction in gold production at the same time that it increased copper output. In a low-priced environment, this seems to be pretty logical, right?
Well, turn no further than to Yamana Gold (AUY +0.00%) for a completely different perspective. Here is a company that plans on increasing its production by 20% over 2012 figures. Instead of cutting its activity levels, it plans on cutting its mining cost structure by around 17.5%. These measures are expected to be fully carried out in 2013, with two-thirds of them forecast to be successful by mid-year. It will certainly be worth tracking the company's progress over the next two quarters.
So which direction will their competitor Goldcorp (GG +0.00%) head in 2013? Tune in for our analysts' predictions.
