01:24 PM EST - Barrick Gold Corp. : says it is bullish about its 2008 prospects despite a "challenging" cost environment that led to a drop in third-quarter profit for the world's largest gold miner. Barrick reported late Wednesday that it had a third-quarter profit of $345 million, down from $405 million as higher costs and a lower number of ounces sold offset a rising price of gold. Sales for the quarter were $1.68 billion, up from $1.56 billion last year. Barrick Gold Corp.
shares T.ABX are trading down 58 cents at $41.42.
