If you’ve run into difficulties lately finding the best gold stocks to invest in, you’re not alone. Sentiment has been down. But there are still some very attractive opportunities out there in the goldfields, one of which I want to share with you.
First, a quick recap: The price of gold tested support of $1,200 an ounce on Monday as the U.S. dollar strengthened to a 16-month high, propelled by expectations of additional interest rate hikes. A stronger greenback, remember, weighs on gold as well as a number of other commodities, including oil, since they’re priced in dollars. I’ve inverted the dollar’s values in the chart below so it’s easier to see this relationship.
Gold miners have felt the pressure, too. In the 12-month period as of November 12, the FTSE Gold Mines, which reflects the stock performance of producers from around the world, lost 17.66 percent.
This may have made it challenging for some gold investors to find promising stocks. As such, assets have dropped. Gold and precious metal ETFs in North America saw net outflows of 58 metric tons in 2018 through October 31, according to the World Gold Council (WGC).
But selling now is the wrong move, I believe. Gold stocks appear to be highly undervalued relative to the S&P 500 Index, and a sharp drop in the market could strongly boost demand for the yellow metal. This means it might be time to consider accumulating.
Meet Mene, Gold Jewelry Disruptor
For investors who wish to increase their exposure to gold, I believe our Gold and Precious Metals Fund (USERX) is an attractive option with a history of strong performance. USERX is actively managed, meaning we rely on fundamentals and on cultivating relationships with management teams to decide which companies go in and out of the fund.
One of those companies, the one I hinted at earlier, is a newcomer to the industry—Mene Inc.
You might not have heard the name Mene yet, but you could soon enough, especially if you’re in the market for fine jewelry.
Founded in 2017 by Roy Sebag, co-founder of gold financial services firm Goldmoney, and Diana Widmaier-Picasso, granddaughter of—you guessed it—Pablo Picasso, Mene’s mission is to disrupt the gold jewelry market by selling directly to the consumer and pricing its merchandise fairly and transparently. Unlike traditional sellers like Tiffany & Co (NYSE:TIF). and Cartier, which sometimes have high premiums, Mene prices its jewelry based on the changing value of gold. It then charges a 15 percent to 20 percent design and production fee on top of that.
What also sets the company apart is that its jewelry—from earrings to necklaces, bracelets to charms—is made of 24-karat gold or platinum. No alloys, no insets of diamonds or other stones. That’s done to help the pieces retain their value over time.
Here at U.S. Global Investors, we believe gold is money and a timeless investment. Mene, which takes its name from the Aramaic word for “money,” has clearly run with that idea, going so far as to trademark the phrase “investment jewelry.”
It’s a business model that seems to have resonated with consumers and investors alike. In its first 10 months of operation, Mene did as much as $7 million in sales in more than 53 countries, as of October 2018.
Active Management Can Help You Invest in Attractive Companies Before the Street Does
The reason I tell you this is to highlight our potential ability to find and invest in little-known yet promising companies before they become overvalued. In the case of Mene, we managed to get in even earlier, before shares in the company were made available to the public.
Mene went public on the S&P/TSX Composite earlier this month. But thanks to active management and our industry relationships, we were able to buy shares privately seven months ago. So even before its stock was available to retail investors, Mene accounted for 2.46 percent of the Gold and Precious Metals Fund (USERX) as of September 30.
For the one-year, five-year and 10-year periods, USERX beat its benchmark, the FTSE Gold Mines Index, as of September 30, 2018. You can see its performance here.
USERX holds an incredible four-star rating overall from Morningstar as of September 30 in the Equity Precious Metals category. It also holds four stars for the three-year, five-year and 10-year periods, based on risk-adjusted returns.
Please consider carefully a fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. For this and other important information, obtain a fund prospectus by visiting www.usfunds.com or by calling 1-800-US-FUNDS (1-800-873-8637). Read it carefully before investing. Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Distributor. U.S. Global Investors is the investment adviser.
Expense ratios as stated in the most recent prospectus. Performance data quoted above is historical. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Results reflect the reinvestment of dividends and other earnings. For a portion of periods, the fund had expense limitations, without which returns would have been lower. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance data quoted. The principal value and investment return of an investment will fluctuate so that your shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance does not include the effect of any direct fees described in the fund’s prospectus which, if applicable, would lower your total returns. Performance quoted for periods of one year or less is cumulative and not annualized. Obtain performance data current to the most recent month-end at www.usfunds.com or 1-800-US-FUNDS.
Morningstar Ratings are based on risk-adjusted return. The Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted-average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year Morningstar Rating metrics. Past performance does not guarantee future results. For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund’s monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.)
Gold, precious metals, and precious minerals funds may be susceptible to adverse economic, political or regulatory developments due to concentrating in a single theme. The prices of gold, precious metals, and precious minerals are subject to substantial price fluctuations over short periods of time and may be affected by unpredicted international monetary and political policies. We suggest investing no more than 5% to 10% of your portfolio in these sectors.
The S&P 500 Stock Index is a widely recognized capitalization-weighted index of 500 common stock prices in U.S. companies. The FTSE Gold Mines Index encompasses all gold mining companies that have a sustainable and attributable gold production of at least 300,000 ounces a year, and that derive 75% or more of their revenue from mined gold. The U.S. dollar index (USDX) is a measure of the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the value of a basket of currencies of the majority of the U.S.'s most significant trading partners. This index is similar to other trade-weighted indexes, which also use the exchange rates from the same major currencies.
Fund portfolios are actively managed, and holdings may change daily. Holdings are reported as of the most recent quarter-end. Holdings in the Gold and Precious Metals Fund as a percentage of net assets as of 9/30/2018: Mene Inc. 2.46%.
All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor.