Gold and Silver Miners Making a Comeback

2013 was certainly a brutal year for precious metals and precious metal miners. Lower metal prices and rising operating costs made it difficult for many miners to log in a good profit last year. So far in 2014, however, many miners have been able to gain significant ground. While this corner of the market typically performs better during times of economic uncertainty, due to the fact that precious metals prices are usually driven higher, this year the commodity has managed to stay afloat despite the overall positive outlook for the economy [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter]. In this piece, we’ll take a look at two segments of the mining industry that have gained more than 35% year-to-date (Please note that all data is as of June 26, 2014).

Junior Silver Miners Up 45%

SILJ The FactorShares PureFunds ISE Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) has gained more than 44% so far in 2014. Within the first two months of the year, the fund rallied over 54%, but from April to May, SILJ slid sideways. In June, however, the fund rallied once again. Fortuna Silver Mines (FSM), SILJ’s largest holding, has helped drive this ETF; the stock has gained over 85% year-to-date. MAG Silver Corp (MVG), the fund’s second largest holding, has also performed well, gaining over 80% [see also An ETF First for Gold Investors (OUNZ)].

Junior Gold Miners Up 35%

GDXJ Van Eck’s Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ) has gained over 35% so far in 2014. Like SILJ, the fund charged higher during the first quarter of the year. Between April and May, the fund pulled back, only to surge higher once again in June. The fund’s top three holdings have all performed well year-to-date. Primero Mining Corp (PPP) has gained over 76%, Semafo (SEMFF) is up 74%, and OceanaGold Corp (OGC) has rallied nearly 100%.

The Bottom Line: The Mining Industry Is Still Shaky

While these year-to-date statistics may seem appealing, investors must realize that both of these junior miner funds are well off their highs. With the economic landscape continuing to improve, precious metal prices might fall once again, putting downward pressure on gold and silver miners. Furthermore, operating costs for these companies continue to rise, and without fundamental changes in cost reduction strategies, it will be especially difficult for junior minors to absorb the impact of potential price drops.

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Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.

About Daniela Pylypczak

Daniela Pylypczak-Wasylyszyn is a regular contributor to CommodityHQ.com, where she primarily focuses on commodity producers equities. She is also an analyst for ETFdb.com, where she contributes articles and analysis each week. Since joining the team in 2011, Daniela has quickly grown to be one of the most widely-followed authors in the industry. Her articles are syndicated in a number of online publications, including Financial Advisor Magazine, Fidelity.com, and Yahoo! Finance. Daniela is also a contributor for TraderHQ.com and Dividend.com. Daniela graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics.
This entry was posted in Commodity ETFs, Commodity Producers, Gold, Precious Metals, Silver and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

Commodity HQ is not an investment advisor, and any content published by Commodity HQ does not constitute individual investment advice. The opinions offered herein are not personalized recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities or investment assets. Read the full disclaimer here.

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