7 Low-Cost Gold ETFs

Gold investors typically tout several virtues of the yellow metal: It hedges against inflation, they say, it's an uncorrelated asset that doesn't move with the stock market and it can grow in value when national or even global uncertainty is high. Those features help build the bull case, which you can leverage via gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Gold admittedly hasn't given investors much to work with for years. After a decade-long run topped out in 2011 above $1,850 per ounce, prices slammed back to earth and have been stuck in a range between $1,100 and $1,300 since 2013.

Still, some people look to gold investing to diversify their portfolios, and aggressive investors can try to squeeze profits out of short-term swing trades. We recommend that if you do try your hand at this commodity, you understand the ins and outs of investing in gold, make it a small portion (5%) of your portfolio and use ETFs, for several reasons, including liquidity, low expenses and ease of use.

Here's an introduction to