August 2011: Gold ETFs In Focus

Published on August 11, 2011 | Updated July 18, 2012

Gold has always been a popular investment destination for various types of investors, standing out as a tried and true safe haven that generally performs well in times of equity market turbulence as well as an alternative to fiat currencies that have occasionally come under pressure. But the development of exchange-traded funds has given gold a tremendous boost in the investing world, and the combination of precious metals exposure and the exchange-traded structure has proven to be an extremely efficient marriage that is appealing to all types of investors.

That aspect of the growth in gold ETFs has been particularly interesting; these securities are extremely popular among multi-billion dollar hedge funds, but have also been embraced fully by smaller investors and financial advisors looking to achieve access to precious metals. Gold ETFs truly are an all-inclusive club, one of the few places where hedge fund billionaires rub elbows with mom-and-pop investors (in the figurative sense at least).

Innovation in the ETF industry has given investors seeking gold exposure dozens of options to choose from. From twists on simple physically-backed products such as GLD and IAU to futures-based strategies to funds that achieve indirect exposure to gold through the companies responsible for discovering and extracting the metal, the gold ETF space has become increasingly crowded and complex.

Evaluating the relative merits of these various offerings can be a challenge; each of the gold exchange-traded products on the market today has unique risk and return profiles that will determine whether it is appropriate for a specific type of investor. This in-depth report is designed to highlight the factors to consider when searching through the potential gold ETF options, as well as offer analyst insight on the strengths and weaknesses of each of the choices. We also discuss where gold could be headed in the coming months, and lay out our preferred strategies for accessing this increasingly popular–and increasingly important–precious metal.

Table Of Contents

The ETFdb Research Report Gold ETFs In Focus includes research into all the gold ETFs on the market today, as well as insight from our team of analysts on factors to consider when investing in gold ETFs, an outlook on what the future holds for gold prices, and head-to-head comparisons of exchange-traded products and the nuances that separate seemingly similar products. This report is also available in PDF form to ETFdb Pro members.

To navigate to any of these sections, simply click on the links below:

Outlook For Gold Prices

Gold ETFs: Factors To Consider

Gold ETFs Head-To-Head

  • GLD vs. IAU
  • GDX vs. GGGG
  • UBG vs. DGL
  • DBP vs. GLTR
  • GLDX vs. GDXJ

In-Depth Analyst Reports: Gold ETFs

In-Depth Analyst Reports: Gold Miner ETFs

Leveraged/Inverse Gold ETFs

Precious Metals ETFs: Beyond Gold

Final Word: Analyst Takes On Gold ETFs

Next: Outlook For Gold Prices>>>>>

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