Preamble
Let's start by defining investment and speculation, and for this purpose, I have used Investopedia:
An investment is an asset or item acquired with the goal of generating income or appreciation.
Speculation refers to the act of conducting a financial transaction that has substantial risk of losing value but also holds the expectation of a significant gain or other major value.
Precious metals such as physical gold and physical silver are an investment and can be acquired and held for long periods of time.
Precious metals mining sector
The precious metals mining sector