Mining Winners & Losers: AngloGold Ashanti

Mining and metals stocks were among the best performers Monday as commodity prices such as gold, copper, silver, palladium and platinum finished higher on the day.

Gold futures rose past $896 an ounce, and the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD Quote), an exchange-traded fund backed by bullion, was higher by 1.7%.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU Quote) was the leader in the sector, adding roughly 6%. Other top gainers included a 5.2% climb in shares of Rio Tinto (RTP Quote), IAMGold (IAG Quote) with a gain of 4.1%, BHP Billiton (BHP Quote) with an increase of 4%, and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX Quote) and Gold Fields (GFI Quote), both rising 3.6%.

Among small-cap mining concerns, Taseko Mines (TGB Quote) was surging 12.9%, Century Aluminum (CENX Quote) climbed 12.2%, and Hecla Mining (HL Quote) was gaining 9%.

Other silver and copper names were also rallying. Silver Wheaton (SLW Quote) and Southern Copper (PCU Quote) were both jumping 5.8%.

---

TheStreet.com Ratings, recently cited for Best Stock Selection from October 2007 through February 2009 , is an independent research provider that combines fundamental and technical analysis to offer investors tremendous value in volatile times. To see how your portfolio can use this research, click here now!