Gold and Silver Miners Rebound in 2014
Last year, investors witnessed several corners of the commodity market falter. One of the hardest hit sectors, however, was metals and mining; both the commodity and its producers suffered tremendous losses in 2013. The popular SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) saw outflows of more than $23 billion last year, causing its assets under management to sink by more than 40%. Other metal funds, as well as individual mining companies, had similarly dismal performances [for more gold and silver news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
The 5 Worst Commodity Stocks of 2013
With 2013 drawing to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the biggest moves seen by commodity investors over the past year on Wall Street. Last week, we profiled the best performing commodity stocks of the year; this list was largely dominated by U.S. oil & gas companies as the domestic energy boom took root in 2013. While some commodity producers managed to rake in stellar triple-digit gains, most fell on the other end of the performance spectrum and struggled to rally amid 2013′s bull market [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter]. Sluggish growth prospects in China coupled with uncertainty surrounding the timing and magnitude of the Fed taper at home have served, and remain, as two key headwinds for commodity investors looking ahead to 2014.
Why Gold Is Nearing Its Bottom
The hits just keep coming for gold. As markets finally calmed after Bernanke’s announcement of imminent tapering from the Fed, gold continues to get slaughtered. With many predicting the metal to eventually lose its grip on the quadruple digit levels, investors are trying to properly time the bottom. The problem is, a number of gold’s movements have seemed to defy all logic with harsh sell-offs coming off of little fundamental news or changes; emotional trading has taken hold [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
A Deeper Look at South Africa’s Commodity Industry
South Africa is the largest economy of Africa, and it accounts for almost one-quarter of the continent’s GDP. The path to this status has not been an easy one, however, as the country languished under sanctions in the 1980s tied to the government’s apartheid policies. While South Africa has a relatively well-developed manufacturing sector by the standards of African economies (and developing economies in general), a meaningful percentage of the country’s economy still revolves around commodities [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Top 5 Gold Miner Stocks by Market Cap
Physical and futures-based investments in gold have been a mainstay in many investors portfolios for years now, but allocations to gold mining and exploration companies have quickly solidified their place in the commodity world. Although they do not have a perfect correlation to spot bullion prices, these stocks offer indirect access to arguably the world’s most popular safe haven while at the same time providing equity exposure that has a unique risk/return profile. For those who have a bullish outlook on gold prices and the mining industry, we outline five of the biggest gold mining and exploration companies by market cap [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Investing In Gold: The Definitive Guide
Gold is one of the rarest metals in the world, and has a long history as a valuable and intensely sought-after element. The precious metal has served as the basis for physical currency for thousands of years, and many monetary systems throughout human history have utilized a gold standard that focused on the precious metal. Exploration and production of gold has become a major industry in regions that maintain significant deposits of the metal, and quests for gold have been the impetus of countless expeditions and discoveries [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
An Investor’s Primer To Gold Mining: How They Dig Up The Yellow Metal
Gold mining has certainly come a long ways from the images in the history books of the 49ers in California using their picks and shovels or of the Yukon Gold Rush of the late 1890s panning for gold in streams. Today, mining for gold is a multinational, multimillion dollar business taken up largely by big companies, such as Barrick Gold (ABX), using much more sophisticated methods and equipment than swinging a pick at a rock. That is because most of the surface gold, called alluvial gold, has been found and gold now must be mined from the earth [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
10 Gold Miners That Pay a Dividend
After the announcement of QE3, investors everywhere began flocking to gold. The precious metal has a number of appealing features, but its most alluring at the moment is its ability to hedge against a flailing dollar. With Bernanke and company slated to print $40 billion per month for an unknown duration, it seems that the greenback is due for a slump. Aside from the metal itself, many investors are also fond of gold equities, as they offer indirect exposure to the commodity, while allowing for advantages like a dividend. Below, we outline 10 gold miners that are currently paying a dividend to consider for your portfolio [for more gold news subscribe to our free newsletter].
3 Countries With The Largest Gold Reserves
Gold has a rich history throughout the centuries as a store of value and a means of exchange (money) for goods and services between peoples all over the world, no matter the particular culture. Perhaps that is because gold is found in so many locations around the globe. Today, gold producing countries are found on nearly all continents and run the gamut from economic superpowers like the United States to small, emerging market economies. No single country produces more than 14% of the gold mined each year, making it truly a global industry [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
The Ultimate Guide To Gold Investing
Gold is one of the rarest metals in the world, and has a long history as a valuable and intensely sought-after element. Gold has served as the basis for physical currency for thousands of years, and many monetary systems throughout human history have utilized a gold standard that focused on the precious metal. Exploration and production of gold has become a major industry in regions that maintain significant deposits of the metal, and quests for gold have been the impetus of countless expeditions and discoveries. The price of the metal is widely followed by many investors, both sophisticated and simplistic. There are a number of different options for investing in gold, including buying up coins and bars of the product, exchange-traded futures contracts, stocks of companies engaged in the extraction and sale of the metal, and both physically-backed and futures-based exchange-traded products [see also The Guide To The Biggest Companies … See the full story here →
