The price of gold is near record highs. The precious metal, however, has a history of swift and dramatic price moves in both directions. Now isn't the time to swing for the fences; it's time to step back and consider what could go wrong. If you must buy gold, here's why a gold exchange-traded fund (ETF) like SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: GLD), which owns physical gold, is a better choice than buying a miner.
Over the past month or so, gold, using exchange-traded fund SPDR Gold Shares as a proxy, is up roughly 11%. Giant gold miner Newmont (NYSE: NEM) is up around 14%. Mid-tier gold miner AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU) is up 25%. And small miner Golden Star Resources (NYSEMKT: GSS) is up a massive 57%. This isn't a particularly unusual array of numbers, since miners tend to be leveraged to the price of gold.
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