Are Gold Miners’ Cost Concerns Overblown?

After talking with many producers about their cost drivers, we believe cost concerns are overblown and that costs will fluctuate around the $900 level for the foreseeable future. It seems the labor market has tightened somewhat in Australia, but companies are not reporting any wage pressures In fact, BMO Capital Markets sees the all-in costs of the gold companies in their coverage universe declining 8% in 2019. In its 2018 “Gold Yearbook,” the New York–based CPM Group showed that AISCs (all-in sustaining costs) for gold mining companies (GDX)(IAU) bottomed out in 1Q16 to $871, down 27% from the peak of $1,187 in 3Q12.