(Every week, Business Edge columnist Gyle Konotopetz profiles the top three stock picks of one of Canada’s most successful investment pros.)

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John Ing is president of Toronto-based Maison Placements, which specializes in resource stocks. Ing is the brokerage’s gold specialist.

Ing’s Perspective: “I’m bullish on gold because of the store-of-value characteristic of gold and its status as a hedge (against market uncertainty). We have a crisis of confidence in the stock market due to the collapses of Enron and Global Crossing. Gold hit $300 (US per ounce), pulled back to a little under $290 and now is on its run through $300. It will likely average about $325 for the year and hit a high of $375.

“The (TSE gold and precious minerals index) seems to have found good support at 5500 and I think near-term on this run through $300 the index should go to 7500. The big-cap names such as Barrick Gold (ABX-TSE) and Newmont (NEM-NYSE) are very popular, but I think the big caps will do well but not outstanding because the big caps have declining production profiles. It’s very difficult for these companies to raise their production since no new ore bodies have been found in the last few years due to low prices. So then you have to look at who has the growth and that’s the mid-cap and junior companies.”

FIRST STAR

* Agnico-Eagle Mines (AGE-TSE)

* Recent Price: $17.52.

* 12-Month Range: $9.45-$20.85.

* Ing’s Call: Buy.

* Target: $30 (approximately 18 months).

* Snapshot: Agnico-Eagle is a gold producer with operations principally in northwestern Quebec and exploration and development properties in Quebec and Ontario.

* CEO: Sean Boyd.

* Head Office: Toronto (397 employees).

* Vital Stats: Revenue (last 12 mos), $148.7 million; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 8.3%; Profit/Loss (last 12 mos), $5 million loss; Market Cap, $1.2 billion; Shares Outstanding, 67.8 million; Dividend Yield, 0.2%.

* Ing’s Comment: “This company should produce in the order of 340,000 ounces this year, up from 230,000 ounces last year. In addition, they’re spending on exploration and drilling. They have a very big program at the Larond project (Quebec).”

* Risk Rating: Low.

* Web watch: www.agnico-eagle.com

SECOND STAR

* Eldorado Gold (ELD-TSE)

* Recent Price: 0.66.

* 12-Month Range: 0.22-0.85.

* Ing’s Call: Buy.

* Target: $1.40 (approx. one year).

* Snapshot: Eldorado is involved in mining, exploration and development of gold properties in Brazil and Turkey. The company projects production of 105,000 ounces from the Sao Bento mine in Brazil in 2002.

* CEO: Paul Wright.

* Head Office: Vancouver (1,036 employees).

* Vital Stats: Revenue (last 12 mos), $55.8 million; Profit/Loss (last 12 mos), $3.8 million loss; Market Cap, $67.7 million; Shares Outstanding, 102.6 million.

* Ing’s Comment: “The reason I like Eldorado is that the company not only has a rising production profile, but they did a financing that reduced their debt to less than $6.5 million from $40 million. They also have a project in Turkey (Kisladag) which is a potential eight-million to 10-million-ounce property. It’s a classic exploration property that I think some of the major companies will like (as a potential takeover).”

* Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web watch: www.eldoradogold.com

THIRD STAR

* Crystallex International (KRY-TSE)

* Recent Price: $2.64.

* 12-Month Range: $1.10-$3.45.

* Ing’s Call: Buy.

* Target: $3.50-$3.75 (12-18 months).

* Snapshot: Crystallex is a gold producer with operations and exploration properties in Canada, Uruguay, Venezuela and Brazil.

* CEO: Marc Oppenheimer.

* Head Office: Vancouver (200 employees).

* Vital Stats: Price/Earnings Ratio, 132; Revenue (last 12 mos), $58.6 million; Profit (last 12 mos), $1.3 million; Market Cap, $206.7 million; Shares Outstanding, 78.3 million.

* Ing’s Comment: “I think they’re going to produce about 145,000 ounces of gold this year. The beauty of this company is that they are in Venezuela and they’re fighting in the courts to get the Las Cristinas property, which is a 10-million-ounce property that Placer Dome once owned. . . . Crystallex has the inside track on the property and, should they be successful, this could triple Crystallex’s production in the next few years. If they win the the court fight, the stock could triple.”

* Risk Rating: Low

* Web watch: www.crystallex.com

* Disclosure: Ing says he does not personally own shares in any of the featured companies.