Low-fee ETFs for gold and silver gains

Article Excerpt

So far this year, gold is down 3.5% from $1,421 U.S. an ounce at the end of 2010. But at $1,371, it’s still up 25% from a year ago. Silver is down 4.7%, to $29.27. But that’s still up 68% from a year ago. Gold and silver could well move higher over the longer term, although they will likely remain volatile. Higher prices would arise from investor fears that continued low interest rates and governments injecting money into their economies will spur inflation or weaken their currencies. If you want to hold a number of gold or silver stocks, these two exchange-traded funds offer top-quality global miners and low fees. ISHARES S&P/TSX GLOBAL GOLD INDEX FUND $24.91 (Toronto symbol XGD; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) aims to mirror the performance of the S&P/TSX Global Gold Index. This index is made up of gold stocks from Canada and around the world. The weight of any one company is capped at 25% of the index’s…