How to take advantage of rising gold prices

The troubles in North Africa and the Middle East that drove up oil prices, prompting investors to seek refuge again in gold. However, gold stocks did not follow the pace. Wrongly or rightly?
After undergoing a correction earlier this year the gold price has again topped $ 1,400. Any investor arises the same question: "How to benefit?". The most common alternatives are buying physical gold (bullion or coins) and trackers (index funds) on gold. In contrast, gold mines shares are less known. And yet: the rising price of gold should be a good deal for the mining companies too.

The Problem of The Volatility :

The volatility is characteristic of gold stocks. This volatility is a major cause: the price of gold. Suppose the price of gold rises from 1300 to 1430 dollars (+10%). For a mining company whose cost of production amounts to 1,000 dollars, the same increase should generate earnings growth of 43%. In theory, because profit margins are not only the price of gold. That said, this leverage also echoed in the share prices of "gold diggers". Since 2001, the date of the beginning of the upward trend of the gold metal price has quintupled. Gold Bugs Index The index is almost three times better over the same period and is 14 times higher today. Investors, however, have endured the effects of the crash in 2008 (-30%).

Risks of Investing in Gols :

The major mining groups are Barrick Gold, Newmont and Goldcorp Goldminings, "senior", or values ​​established in the sector, which produce gold in abundant quantities. And then there are the "junior", the smaller mines or the real gold diggers: companies looking for operating sites, which are developing promising projects but only a handful actually succeed in extracting gold from the earth.

The potential gains are enormous in this third category of activity, measurement of risk. Find a junior position to keep its promises, however, the challenge is to evaluate the potential of these businesses, we need to seek a network of experts of all kinds, including geologists. The area is complex and evolves with divergent factors. For the individual investor, analysis essential information is difficult toget and is burdensome.

Diversification good or bad :

For investors seeking broad diversification, ETFs on an index of mining companies can provide an initial response. The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX) consists for example of the largest gold mines in the world. There are also a junior version (GDXJ). Helped by rising gold (+28%), these two ETFs have gained last year's 33 and 55% respectively