The largest gold miner by market cap, Barrick Gold is a formidable force in the sector. Operating some of the largest gold-producing mines in the world, Barrick excels at keeping its expenses low. In fiscal 2016, Barrick -- the best performer in this peer group -- reported AISC of $730 per gold ounce. For context, the closest to Barrick here is Agnico, which reported AISC on a by-product basis of $824 per gold ounce in fiscal 2016. Excelling at keeping costs low, Barrick is able to generate significant cash. In fact, Barrick's free cash flow breakeven was below $1,000 per ounce in 2016 -- even if gold fell to $1,000 per ounce last year, Barrick would have still been churning out cash.