Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) This Year?

Company Performance - Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) has gained approximately 20.8% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the average return of -1.8% for Basic Materials companies [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEM's full-year earnings has increased by 36.9% in the past quarter, indicating improved analyst sentiment and earnings outlook [2] - Agnico Eagle Mines currently holds a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), suggesting strong potential for future performance [1] Industry Comparison - Agnico Eagle Mines is part of the Mining - Gold industry, which has an average year-to-date gain of 11.2%, indicating that AEM is performing better than its industry peers [3] - In contrast, the Chemical - Diversified industry, which includes Cabot (CBT), has only seen a year-to-date increase of 0.3% [3] - Cabot has returned 21% since the beginning of the year and has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), showing solid performance within its sector [2][3]