"State Street's George Milling-Stanley: Physical Gold Trumps Mining Stocks for Protection"

George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors, suggests that physical gold provides more protection against market volatility than gold mining stocks. His firm runs two exchange-traded funds tracking the spot price of gold, with different expense ratios to attract different types of investors. He notes that gold is gaining popularity among younger investors, especially as bitcoin continues to attract assets, but he believes that gold and bitcoin serve different investment purposes, with gold being more suitable for long-term strategic allocation.