Gold Mining ETF Investing 101: GDX, GDXJ, GLDX, GGGG, NUGT, DUST, RING, PSAU

Gold miners have been pretty terrible investments for much of 2013. These miners often trade as leveraged plays on their underlying metals, and with gold floundering for much of the year, losses began to pile up for the space.

In fact, during the first seven months of the year, most gold miners lost more than 40%, further underscoring the extreme bear market conditions in the space. However, recent trading in the segment has been decidedly more bullish, leading many to believe that the worst might be over for the segment.

Gold miners have actually risen more than 15% on average in the past 10 day time frame, with a few rising more than 20% in the period. This suggests to many that gold miners—thanks to some firm trading in gold and bottom fishing—may finally be back on track and some intrepid investors may want to consider taking a closer look at the gold mining ETF space for diversified exposure.

There are a lot of options in the segment though, so some investors might be wondering which is the best choice for them. Below, we have highlighted some of the key differences between the many funds in this space for those looking to play the recent surge in gold miners in ETF form: (more)

Please share this article