Gold shares, cheapest since 2002, said to be 'coiled spring' for rally
Submitted by cpowell on 08:19PM ET Tuesday, November 29, 2011. Section: Daily Dispatches By Thomas Biesheuvel Bloomberg News Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Gold mining stocks are trading at their cheapest level in at least nine years even as the industry's profits are estimated to almost double this year and bullion trades close to its historic high.
The benchmark NYSE Arca Gold BUGS Index (HUI) that includes Barrick Gold Corp., Newmont Mining Corp., and AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. ended last week at 17 times earnings, the lowest since at least November 2002 and below a five-year average of 37 times.
Investors sold equities across the board as Europe's debt crisis soured the corporate profit outlook, and they're ignoring analyst projections for bullion and gold producers. The gold index's 16 members will increase combined per-share earnings 94 percent this year, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.