An ETF to Play the Gold Miners

For investors expecting the gold miners to report strong first quarter earnings this week, now is the appropriate time to gain exposure to gold through the miners.

Newmont Mining(NEM) will report earnings Tuesday, while Goldcorp(GG) and Barrick(ABX) report on Wednesday. Combined, these companies account for 38% of the net assets of Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF(GDX).

Last earnings season, the reports from these top components of GDX were spread out over the course of almost a month, with a week or more separating each company's announcement. All three companies beat estimates, but the impact on GDX was minimized due to the timing of the reports. This time around, the effect of the reports on GDX will be more direct. (more)