Gold veteran says bigger may not be better as M&A blitz hits

The $15-billion flurry of deal-making that will super-size the gold industry’s leading producers is no guarantee of better performance, according to an Australian miner who’s been outpacing larger competitors.

Rising gold prices and a hunt to boost additional reserves of the precious metal have spurred Newmont Mining and Barrick Gold to acquire rival companies and add more operations. Their moves have stoked expectations that other producers will now also look to combine.