Top-Rated Metals Stocks

Metal prices have been white-hot in recent years, as surging emerging markets have increased their demand at an exponential rate. As of July 18, aluminum prices had doubled over the past five years. Copper prices nearly quadrupled over the same period. Gold and silver have also risen substantially, used by some investors to help dodge the declining value of the U.S. dollar.

Naturally, companies that mine for these four metals have had a strong wind in their sails since 2003. With that in mind, we'll use the aggregated intelligence of the 110,000-plus members participating in Motley Fool CAPS to find metals stocks that the community likes -- those with four- and five-star ratings. The community's approval could be a sign that further research is in order.

Here are five such stocks:

Company	Primary Metal	% CAPS All-Star Bulls	CAPS Rating (out of 5)
Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF  )	Steel & Iron	96.2%	****
Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE: SID  )	Steel & Iron	96.1%	*****
Golden Star Resources (AMEX: GSS  )	Gold	97%	****
Sterlite Industries India (NYSE: SLT  )	Copper	98.3%	*****
Steel Dynamics (Nasdaq: STLD  )	Steel & Iron	98.5%	*****

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of July 14.