Physical and futures-based investments in gold have been a mainstay in many investors portfolios for years now, but allocations to gold mining and exploration companies have quickly solidified their place in the commodity world. Although they do not have a perfect correlation to spot bullion prices, these stocks offer indirect access to arguably the world’s most popular safe haven while at the same time providing equity exposure that has a unique risk/return profile. For those who have a bullish outlook on gold prices and the mining industry, we outline five of the biggest gold mining and exploration companies by market cap [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter ]. See the full story here → Related Posts: 10 Gold Miners That Pay a Dividend Investing In Gold: The Definitive Guide The Ultimate Guide To Gold Investing Inside Ron Paul’s Gold and Silver Portfolio Gold Stocks To Play QE3