Look, I get it. When someone mentions “stocking stuffers,” you’re probably thinking candy canes and mini bottles of hand sanitizer. But what if I told you the best stocking stuffer this year might actually be… gold stocks? Yeah, I know how that sounds, but hear me out.
Gold is having a moment. And by “moment,” I mean it’s been absolutely crushing it, hitting new all-time highs like it’s trying to win a participation trophy for every month of 2025. According to economist Ed Yardeni (who’s basically the Nostradamus of finance), gold is “the new bitcoin.” Which is hilarious because bitcoin was supposed to be the new gold, but here we are.
Here’s the deal: Central banks worldwide are hoarding gold like it’s the last slice of pizza at a college party. Why? Because nobody trusts anyone anymore, and when trust goes out the window, people run to shiny things. Yardeni thinks gold could hit $5,000 per ounce within a year, and potentially $10,000 by 2030. That’s not chump change – that’s “quit your day job” money.
The real kicker? We’re staring down a global deflation problem, especially in China. When deflation hits, central banks panic and start devaluing currencies faster than you can say “money printer go brrr.” Gold loves this chaos – it’s like catnip for precious metals.
Three Gold Stocks Worth Your Attention:
1. Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM)
These guys are the third-largest gold producer globally, which is like being the third-best pizza place in New York – still pretty damn good. They’re expecting to produce up to 3.5 million ounces of gold in 2025, and their recent earnings jumped 89.5% year-over-year. When a mining company beats earnings expectations by 10%, that’s not luck – that’s execution.
2. Alamos Gold (AGI)
Formed from a merger over 20 years ago (back when flip phones were cool), Alamos has been quietly building an empire in Canada and Mexico. They own some of the highest-grade gold mines in Canada, which is like owning prime real estate in Manhattan – expensive to get, but worth every penny. Their Q3 earnings nearly doubled year-over-year, because apparently digging up shiny rocks is profitable. Who knew?
3. Kinross Gold (KGC)
This is the author’s favorite pick, and honestly, the numbers back it up. Third-quarter earnings soared 77% year-over-year, and they beat analyst expectations by nearly 13%. When analysts start revising their estimates upward by 37% in three months, that’s usually a good sign that something special is happening.
Look, I’m not saying you should liquidate your 401k and go full gold bug. But if you’re looking for a hedge against the economic weirdness that 2026 might bring, these three companies are worth a closer look. They’re profitable, they’re growing, and they’re digging up the one thing that’s been valuable since humans figured out how to make jewelry.
Plus, if everything goes sideways, at least you’ll own shares in companies that literally mine money out of the ground. That’s got to count for something, right?