Top Gold Stocks

Gold stocks generally fall into three categories: mining companies, exploration firms, and royalty/streaming companies. Each plays a different role in the gold production cycle.

Historically, gold has been viewed as a hedge against inflation, and the best gold stocks can offer similar protection—with the added upside (and risk) of company performance.

Risks include fluctuating gold prices, geopolitical issues in mining regions, operational challenges, and broader market volatility. Exploration firms carry especially high risk due to uncertain outcomes.

Exploration companies often have no revenue and are betting on future discoveries, making them higher risk but potentially higher reward.

You can buy individual company shares or gold ETFs (a basket of gold-related stocks) through a brokerage account.

Senior miners are large, established companies with stable production, while junior miners are smaller, often more speculative firms focused on exploration and early-stage development.

These firms don’t mine gold themselves but finance miners in exchange for a percentage of future production or revenue—offering lower operational risk and exposure to gold prices.