It's been a pretty rough year for stock investors, with the S&P basically ending flat in 2011. While the general market went nowhere last year, quite a few stocks poured in monster performances.
After a volatile year, gold was up 10% going into the last week of 2011, while silver was down 4%. Copper was one of the largest losers, with a 34% drop. Most gold and silver miners have been lagging their respective metals.
SPDR Gold Trust ETF Stock Chart by YCharts
While the metals didn't move up much this year, some miners have made up significant ground. Here's a list of this year's top 15 performers in the metals and mining industry:
|
Company |
YTD Return |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Haynes International |
35.6% |
| 2 |
Endeavour Silver |
35.2% |
| 3 | Carpenter Technology | 33.9% |
| 4 |
Royal Gold |
26.7% |
| 5 |
Randgold Resources |
26.4% |
| 6 |
First Majestic Silver |
24.0% |
| 7 | Allied Nevada Gold | 21.5% |
| 8 |
Yamana Gold |
21.4% |
| 9 | Harmony Gold Mining | 21.2% |
| 10 | Franco-Nevada | 17.3% |
| 11 | Fortuna Silver Mines | 17.2% |
| 12 | Central GoldTrust | 13.0% |
| 13 | Extorre Gold Mines | 11.7% |
| 14 |
Gold Fields |
9.8% |
| 15 | AngloGold Ashanti | 8.8% |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Only includes companies listed on U.S. exchanges with a market capitalization greater than $500 million.
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