Battle Metals vs. Miners: Gold Edition 2012
Gold investors were in for a wild ride this year, as several major economic events thrust the precious metal into some rather volatile swings. Between the announcement of QE3, the President’s reelection, and the fiscal cliff talks, gold’s performance was all over the board, though the metal managed to post solid but relatively lower gains on the year. As a result, two popular exchange-traded funds saw a lot of activity in 2012: State Street’s SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) and Van Eck’s Market Vectors TR Gold Miners ETF (GDX). A close look at the performances on a year-to-date basis shows just how vastly different these two approaches to the gold market can be [for more gold ETF 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].
Gold Stocks To Play QE3
With QE3 now an announced fact, gold has come back into the spotlight. While the actual historical performance of gold as an inflation hedge is more mixed than some goldbugs realize, the reality is that gold has done pretty well during most prior periods of monetary stimulus. Moreover, with the ongoing uncertainty regarding the economic health and future of Europe, the United States, Japan and China, gold’s demonstrated value as a hedge against uncertainty may also come into play [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].
