Gold - Investments

Investing in gold has historically been considered by investors as a hedge against inflation.  This webpage outlines some popular gold ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) and ETRs (Exchange Traded Receipts) that approximate the price of gold for investors. It is important for investors to read the prospectus before investing in any fund.

Canadian Mint - symbol MNT (Cdn$) and MNT.U (US$) on the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange, Canada) - this is a ETR (Exchange Traded Receipts) that can be purchased in either Canadian or US dollars - this means that you are actually owning physical Gold held by the Canadian Mint and backed by the Canadian government. The difference between this product and the GLD (ETF) is that you can take delivery of the gold plus you have the backing of the Canadian Government in case there are any discrepancies in the fund. This is a newer product so it is not heavily traded. 

SPDR Gold Shares - Symbol GLD on the New York Stock Exchange. This is an ETF marketed by State Street Global Markets LLC. It is by far the largest gold ETF in the world and is very liquid.  It is traded in US$. 

iShares Gold Trust -  - Symbol IAU on the New York Stock Exchange. This is another popular gold ETF that is marketed by iShares. Usually averages around 6 million shares traded per day. 

ETF Securities - Swiss Physical Gold ETF -   Symbol SGOL on Nasdaq (USA) marketed by ETF Securities. This fund is traded in USD$ and is not heavily traded.  

ZKB Gold ETF - ZKB (Zurcher Kantonalbank) Symbol ZGLD on the SIX Swiss Exchange. This is a gold ETF where the owner could take delivery of the gold if requested. The physical gold is stored in Switzerland.