We already have one mutual fund that’s up more than 100%. But don’t chase these gains: The fund is so risky that even its sponsors warn investors off.

Norway’s $840 billion sovereign fund, the world’s biggest equity investor, has cut its investments in gold and coal miners due to environmental concerns.

As gold prices stabilize and ultimately move higher, I think we are going to see a lot of consolidation in the mining sector. Large gold mining companies are depleting their resources.

The recent rise in silver prices has helped shares of most silver miners post solid gains so far this year. However, there is one exception to this trend — Coeur d’Alene Mines.

Is it premature to declare that gold’s bear market is finally over? It certainly looks that way to some chartists, who are making a big deal of gold’s double-bottom at the end of last year just below $1,200.

Last year, China imported and mined far more gold than its citizens and businesses purchased. Some think there was substantial back-channel hoarding.

Want to know where gold prices are headed? It might make sense to track the stocks of gold mining companies.

What is much more interesting is that Standard Bank is 20% owned by China’s Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) — which is also in the process of buying a majority stake in Standard’s UK-based markets business, including commodities.