Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: What do you think of Central Fund of Canada? I’m told they hold actual bullion to back investments. What do you think of iShares CDN Gold Sector Index Fund for a basket of gold mining stocks?

Article Excerpt

Central Fund of Canada, $14.21, symbol CEF.A on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 213.0 million; Market cap: $3.0 billion) is a closed-end mutual fund that holds gold and silver bullion. It now holds 56.7% of its assets in gold bullion, 40.5% in silver bullion and 2.8% in cash. The fund has an MER of 0.38%. The units yield 0.07%. Central Fund trades at an 8% premium to the per-unit value of the assets it holds. We advise against buying closed-end funds at a premium, so we don’t recommend buying units of Central Fund. A: iShares CDN Gold Sector Index Fund, $20.31, symbol XGD on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 55.4 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion), aims to reflect the performance of the S&P/TSX Global Gold Index, which is made up of Canadian and non-Canadian gold stocks that S&P selects using its industrial classifications and guidelines. The fund holds 34 stocks, and its MER is capped at 0.55%. The fund’s top-ten holdings are Barrick Gold at 19.4%; Goldcorp,…