Randgold Resources

“The business posted its 2008 pre‑tax profit of $71.6m, up from $66.9m the year before”

“The FTSE 100 business, which employs 5,000”

“has a market capitalisation of £3.1bn”

“Randgold’s stock, which stands at around 4,011p, has gained about 33 per cent this year”

“Rangold produced 428,426 ounces of gold last year from its two principal West African mines in Mali – Loulo and its flagship mine Morila”

“Morila alone has produced over 5m ounces of gold since the firm bought the undeveloped site from BHP (before it merged with Billiton) in 1996”

“It costs Randgold $460 to produce an ounce of gold”

“The business plans to boost production to 600,000 ounces a years by 2011”

“Its capital spending last year was $280m; this year it will spend a little less at $240m”

“It holds $250m in the bank and carries no debt”