Is gold a good hedge against inflations?

Gold has worked as a good hedge against inflation in the past. It has also acted as a store of value and a safe haven asset during recessions. During the last 50 years and 5 big stock market crashes, the gold price has remained relatively stable or even risen a bit.

Why invest in gold mining companies instead of the gold directly?

Investing in gold mining companies gives you the same advantage as investing in gold, as the stock price returns are correlated with the price of the metal itself, but it also provides other advantages. Gold mining companies can pay dividends; they also have the potential to create additional value by optimizing operations and discovering new gold reserves, which gives a leveraged exposure to the gold market.

What are the risks of Gold Miners ETF?

Investing in companies involved in the production of basic materials carries the risks of being exposed to changes in political and economic conditions like environmental policies and import controls.

Gold ETF

Glittering in Good and Bad Times

ETF Video

The Gold ETF Suite by VanEck as an opportunity to access in a diversified way a broad selection of leading gold and silver mining companies. A proven historical inflation hedge and safe haven for investors in times of turmoil. Opportunity to choose between more mature or junior companies.

We Offer Two Gold ETFs

Our Gold Miners and Junior Gold Miners ETFs offer a choice in how to invest. While the former gives exposure to established gold mining companies, the latter provides greater exposure to new exploration and higher sensitivity to the gold price.

VanEck Gold Miners UCITS ETF

The world's largest gold and silver mining companies.
Established firms, with stable cash flows.
Can be core of gold allocation.

ETF Details

Basis-Ticker: GDX
ISIN: IE00BQQP9F84
TER: 0.53%
AUM: $645.5 M (as of 29-09-2023)
SFDR Classification: Article 6

Lower risk

Higher risk

Typically lower reward

Typically higher reward

VanEck Junior Gold Miners UCITS ETF

The world's most liquid junior gold and silver mining companies.
Young firms in exploration phase. Upside from gold discovery.
Heightened sensitivity to the gold price.

ETF Details

Basis-Ticker: GDXJ
ISIN: IE00BQQP9G91
TER: 0.55%
AUM: $316.9 M (as of 29-09-2023)
SFDR Classification: Article 6

Lower risk

Higher risk

Typically lower reward

Typically higher reward

Can this ETF Be a Safe Haven for Investors?

Historically, gold has given the ultimate protection from stock market falls and black swan events in the past 50 years. During that period’s six big stock market crashes, the gold price has risen or remained relatively stable. VanEck's Gold ETF Suite can provide the opportunity to exploit such property of the precious metal.

Store of Value
Safe Haven
Inflation Hedging
Low Correlation

Store of Value

Gold has been a store of value for thousands of years – also in the last century. While inflation has eroded the value of the US dollar, the world’s reserve currency, by 96% since 1913, gold has only grown in value so far.

Source: Bloomberg, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, VanEck. Past performance is no guarantee for future results.

Gold Has Acted as a Safe Haven in the Past

Top 5 Equity Drawdowns since 1970

Note that gold miners are equities and have been significantly impacted in the past by stock market drawdowns.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator for future performance. Source: VanEck analysis, based on Bloomberg data. Data for the period 01/01/1970 - 21/11/2022. Equities are represented by the MSCI World Net Total Return USD Index. Gold by the LBMA Gold Price PM USD Index.

Gold Has Acted as a Hedge for Inflation in the Past

Gold has moved in lockstep with (inverted) real rates, which reflect inflation expectations.

Gold Price vs Real Rates

Source: Bloomberg, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, VanEck. Data for the period 28/2/1997 – 06/2023. Past performance is no guarantee for future results.

Gold has traditionally exhibited a contained correlation with other asset classes, thus enhancing its diversification function within a portfolio.

Gold Correlation with Other Asset Classes

Source: World Gold Council.

Gold represented by the LBMA Gold Price PM USD Index, US equities by the MSCI US Total Return Index, emerging markets equities by the MSCI EM Total Return Index, commodities by the Bloomberg Commodities Total Return Index, developed markets equities ex US by the MSCI World ex US Total Return Index, US bond market by the Bloomberg Barclays US Bond Aggregate, global government bonds ex US by the Bloomberg Barclays Global Treasury ex US.

Correlation calculated on weekly returns from 3/05/2013 to 5/05/2023.

Gold ETF as an Investment Opportunity

By allocating to this Fund, investors can benefit from the gold miners’ growth potential. This stems from new explorations and gold discoveries as well as from a diversified and stable demand. Gold is in fact characterized by several diversified sources of demand which have proven to be resilient over time.

Gold Miners Benefit from Diversified and Robust Demand
Attractive Fundamentals

Demand for gold has historically been diversified and resilient. Gold is in fact used broadly in jewellery and technological devices as well as it is often held as reserve by central banks around the world. Moreover, many investors perceive it as a safe haven and inflation hedge for their portfolios, thus seeing a clear investment rationale for the precious metal. All these use cases underscore the robustness of gold’s demand, with the Gold ETF poised to potentially benefit from it.

Gold's Diversified Demand

Source: World Gold Council, demand measured in tonnes.

Fundamentals are Bullish for Gold

Gold production has reached a plateau and discoveries could lead to significant price increases for miners.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence. Data as of April 2022.

A potential pick-up in exploration budgets and new gold discoveries could serve as a catalyst for a positive price evolution of gold miners.

The Fund Provides Access to the Best of Both Worlds

VanEck's Gold ETF, with its two variants, provides exposure to the world’s leading gold and silver mining companies, rather than holding the precious metal directly. Their stock prices returns are correlated with gold and silver prices, but they also have the following advantages.

Gold Mining Shares Pay Dividends
While gold and silver mining shares typically pay dividends, holding physical gold...

Gold ETF Offers Leveraged Exposure to Gold Price
Historically, gold mining stock prices have risen more than the gold price...

Potential to Access Value Creation Through Gold ETF
Mining companies boost stock price returns by discovering new gold and silver...

Key Documents and Links

Fact sheet

KID

Prospectus

Fund page

Main Risk Factors of a Gold ETF

Risk of Investing in Gold and Silver Mining Companies
Risk of Investing in Smaller Companies
Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector
Market Risk and Volatility

A Gold ETF will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of gold and silver ore mining companies.

The securities of smaller companies may be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large companies. Smaller companies, when compared with larger companies, may have a shorter history of operations, fewer financial resources, less competitive strength, may have a less diversified product line, may be more susceptible to market pressure and may have a smaller market for their securities. This is one of the factors to take into account when considering an investment in a Gold Fund.

Companies engaged in the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations. This is a risk factor of a Gold ETF.

The value of investments and the income from them, and therefore the value of and income from the shares can go down as well as up and an investor may not get back the amount invested. The ETFs’ exposure is based on the performance of the Index securities which, in turn, is exposed to general market movements (negative as well as positive). The prices of the securities in a given Gold ETF are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value.

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More ETFs

Please contact us for more information:

Phone: +41 (0)44 562 40 65
Email: EMEAinfo@vaneck.com