by Frank Holmes, CEO, CIO, U.S. Global Investors
Gold ended the trading session down 4.41% on Monday, November 9, its worst one-day slump since mid-August, on promising coronavirus vaccine news.
Despite the selloff, the yellow metal has had an extraordinary year. Fueled by historic amounts of fiscal stimulus and negative-yielding debt, as well as economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the price of gold touched a new record high this past summer. As of November 6, it was up more than 28%.
Investors have piled into global ETFs backed by gold. According to the World Gold Council (WGC), October was the 11th straight month of net inflows into gold-backed ETFs, bringing total combined holdings up to a record $235 billion.
Besides investing in gold directly, many investors prefer getting exposure via gold mining stocks. And even then, investors have a range of choices, from the “seniors” (large-cap) to “juniors” (small-cap) to precious metal royal companies.
Below is a list of my favorite junior precious metal mining companies, the largest among them being Gran Colombia with a market cap of $305 million. All data is as of the close on Friday, November 6, and priced in U.S. dollars.
1. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.27 | $18.5M | 62.07% |
2.
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.48 | $31.1M | 71.08% |
3. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.50 | $50.8M | 8.05% |
4. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.25 | $47.1M | 50.74% |
5. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $5.02 | $304.7M | 19.09% |
6. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.94 | $76.9M | 242.48% |
7. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.16 | $28.4M | 102.40% |
8. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.81 | $52.9M | 76.79% |
9. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.35 | $28.7M | 39.92% |
10. 
| Closing Price | Market Cap | Total Return Year-to-Date |
|---|---|---|
| $0.26 | $59.1M | 39.78% |
The companies above have a couple more things in common. Number one, all of them are either currently held in our World Precious Minerals Fund (UNWPX) or they were at one time very recently.
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Frank E. Holmes
CEO and Chief Investment Officer
Frank Holmes is the CEO and chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors. Mr. Holmes purchased a controlling interest in U.S. Global Investors in 1989 and became the firm’s chief investment officer in 1999. In 2006, Mr. Holmes was selected mining fund manager of the year by the Mining Journal, and in 2011 he was named a U.S. Metals and Mining "TopGun" by Brendan Wood International. In 2016, Mr. Holmes and portfolio manager Ralph Aldis received the award for Best Americas Based Fund Manager from the Mining Journal. He is also the co-author of The Goldwatcher: Demystifying Gold Investing. More than 50,000 subscribers follow his weekly commentary in the award-winning Investor Alert newsletter and Frank Talk blog, which are read in over 180 countries.
Under his guidance, the company’s mutual funds have received recognition from Lipper and Morningstar, two trusted independent financial authorities. In 2015, Mr. Holmes led the company into the exchange-traded fund (ETF) business with the launch of the U.S. Global Jets ETF, which invests in the global airline sector. In 2017, U.S. Global Investors made a strategic investment in HIVE Blockchain Technologies, listed in Toronto, and Mr. Holmes was appointed non-executive Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Holmes was awarded the Huron Medal of Distinction from Huron University College in 2013, his alma mater for the class of 1978. This award recognizes individuals whose life achievements set an example of excellence and reflect Huron’s arts and social sciences missions.
Mr. Holmes is a native of Toronto and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He is a former president and chairman of the Toronto Society of the Investment Dealers Association.
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