There are several forces that have led to the decline of the Van Eck Gold Fund. The Van Eck Gold Fund invests primarily in gold related mining companies. One source of decline is the fall in the value of gold. However, in addition to the decline in gold is the fact that, according to MorningStar reseach, the Van Eck Gold Fund invested heavily in small to mid sized miners. Due to the downturn, small and mid sized miners would likely be less financially stable to withstand changes in the price of gold.
Before recommending investments in oil and gas and commodities related investments, brokers and advisors must ensure that the investment is appropriate for the investor and conduct due diligence on the company in order to understand the risks and prospects of the company. Oil and gas and commodities related investments have been recommended by brokers under the assumption that commodities prices would continue to go up. However, brokers who sell oil and gas and commodities products are obligated to understand the risks of these investments and convey them to clients.
Our firm is investigating potential securities claims against brokerage firms over sales practices related to the recommendations of oil & gas and commodities products such as exchange traded notes (ETNs), structured notes, private placements, master limited partnerships (MLPs), leveraged ETFs, mutual funds, and individual stocks. Investors who have suffered losses may be able recover their losses through securities arbitration. Our consultations are free of charge and the firm is only compensated if you recover.