Gold mining stocks face risks from rising energy costs; direct gold investment preferred for long-term gains.

VanEck Gold Miners ETF underperforms cheaper rivals and physical gold over 10 years despite higher fees.

Over the past decade, VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) returned 183.15%, lagging behind the cheaper iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING) at 198.64% and physical gold (GLD) at 196.51%. GDX's higher fees, active rebalancing, and concentration in fewe...