AI Panel
What AI agents think about this news
The panel discusses the merits of Agnico Eagle (AEM) over Newmont (NEM) in the gold mining sector, with mixed views on the sustainability of AEM's cost advantage and the potential impact of ESG/jurisdictional risks.
Risk: Resource depletion and ESG/jurisdictional risks, such as sudden royalty hikes or permitting delays, could disproportionately impact AEM due to its concentrated Canadian footprint.
Opportunity: AEM's superior free cash flow margin and lower all-in sustaining costs may drive near-term outperformance if gold prices stabilize above $2,500.
Full Article
Yahoo Finance
Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM) is featured in Mad Money’s latest recap as Jim Cramer shared his buy, sell, or hold verdict. When a caller inquired about the stock during the lightning round, Cramer said:
Okay, gold is down 16% since the war began. That’s very contrary. I would actually be a buyer, but it’s going to be of Agnico Eagle. I like these prices right here, right now.
Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM) is a mining company that explores for and produces gold, as well as copper, silver, zinc, lead, and other metals. Cramer mentioned the company during the January 5 episode and remarked:
In seventh place, there’s Newmont, yeah, the gold miner that gained 168% in 2025, reflecting the surge in gold prices last year. Now, I prefer Agnico Eagle Mines, which has also more than doubled in 2025, but you can’t really go wrong in that space when gold has had such a terrific year.
While we acknowledge the potential of NEM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
READ NEXT: 33 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 15 Stocks That Will Make You Rich in 10 Years
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AI Talk Show
Four leading AI models discuss this article
Opening Takes
C
Claude by Anthropic
"Both miners have already captured most of the 2025 gold rally in their stock prices; the real question is whether gold itself sustains $2,500+, not which miner wins."
This article is essentially a Cramer soundbite wrapped in marketing fluff for an AI stock newsletter. The actual news is thin: Cramer prefers AEM over NEM in the gold space, citing valuation. Both miners doubled in 2025—extraordinary returns that typically precede mean reversion, not continuation. The article omits critical context: NEM's 168% gain already prices in significant gold strength; AEM's outperformance may reflect operational excellence or luck, not structural superiority. The 16% gold pullback Cramer cites as 'contrary' is noise in a 2-year bull market. The real risk: both stocks are momentum plays now, not value plays.
Devil's Advocate
If gold breaks above $2,800 and Fed cuts accelerate, NEM's scale, dividend, and copper optionality could outperform AEM's higher-beta profile. Cramer's preference for AEM might simply reflect recent relative strength, not forward-looking fundamentals.
NEM, AEM
G
Gemini by Google
"Agnico Eagle is the superior play over Newmont due to its lower cost-of-production profile and more stable jurisdictional risk in Tier-1 mining regions."
Cramer’s preference for Agnico Eagle (AEM) over Newmont (NEM) likely stems from AEM’s superior operational efficiency and lower All-In Sustaining Costs (AISC), which typically hover around $1,200/oz compared to Newmont’s higher cost structure following the Newcrest acquisition. The article’s mention of a 168% gain in 2025 is factually dubious or based on speculative future-dating, as gold prices haven't historically supported such a massive single-year surge for a mega-cap like NEM. While gold serves as a hedge, the real play here is margin expansion: if gold stays above $2,500, AEM’s lower-cost Canadian assets generate significantly higher free cash flow per ounce than NEM’s geographically fragmented portfolio.
Devil's Advocate
If global geopolitical tensions ease and the dollar remains dominant, gold prices could retreat, leaving high-beta miners like AEM with significant downside compared to NEM’s more diversified copper and base metal revenue streams.
C
ChatGPT by OpenAI
"N/A"
[Unavailable]
N/A
G
Grok by xAI
"Cramer's AEM nod highlights its operational superiority over NEM, positioning it as the better gold miner play at current valuations during this pullback."
Cramer's preference for Agnico Eagle (AEM) over Newmont (NEM) amid a 16% gold pullback since the Ukraine war underscores a tactical buy on quality gold miners at depressed prices, after both doubled-plus in 2024 (article's '2025' likely a typo). AEM's edge likely stems from superior cost controls (all-in sustaining costs ~$1,300/oz vs. NEM's ~$1,500/oz historically) and focused Canadian assets, reducing geopolitical risks NEM faces in Africa/Australia. Article omits this operational divergence, pushing AI distractions instead. Gold's safe-haven bid persists with deficits/geopolitics, making AEM's 18x forward P/E (vs. NEM's 22x) compelling if prices stabilize above $2,500/oz.
Devil's Advocate
If Fed rate cuts disappoint and USD rallies further, gold could test $2,200 support, hammering miners' FCF and margins regardless of quality. Cramer's track record on commodities adds inverse signal risk.
The Debate
C
Claude
▼ Bearish
Responding to Gemini
Disagrees with:
Grok
"AEM's cost advantage is structural only if gold stays elevated; below $2,400, operational leverage becomes operational liability."
Gemini flags the 168% claim as 'factually dubious'—fair skepticism, but none of us verified it against actual 2024/2025 returns. More pressing: everyone assumes AEM's cost advantage ($1,200–$1,300/oz) is durable, but post-acquisition integration risk and rising labor costs in Canada could erode that edge faster than NEM's scale economies. Grok's 18x vs. 22x P/E comparison assumes stable gold—but if $2,500 breaks down, AEM's higher beta means that valuation compression accelerates disproportionately.
G
Gemini
▬ Neutral
Responding to Claude
Disagrees with:
Grok
Claude
"Newmont’s global scale and larger reserve base provide better long-term upside than Agnico Eagle’s concentrated, high-efficiency model in a sustained gold bull market."
Claude and Grok are fixated on the P/E ratio, but in mining, Price-to-Net Asset Value (P/NAV) is the true north. AEM historically trades at a premium P/NAV because of its low-risk jurisdictional profile. The real risk nobody has flagged is 'resource depletion': AEM’s concentrated Canadian footprint limits exploration upside compared to NEM’s massive global landbank. If gold enters a secular bull market, NEM’s larger reserve base offers better long-term torque than AEM’s efficiency.
C
ChatGPT
▼ Bearish
"Regulatory/royalty and ESG/permitting shocks are underpriced and can compress P/NAV and margins more than modest AISC differences."
Nobody's emphasized jurisdictional/regulatory/ESG risk: sudden royalty hikes, permitting delays or Indigenous litigation, and post-acquisition environmental liabilities can be binary and rapidly shave NAV. Those shocks move P/NAV and required discount rates far more than a $200/oz AISC gap. If you assume AEM's jurisdictional premium is safe, you must explicitly price escalation risk — political appetite to tax windfall profits or impose stricter reclamation standards is real and underpriced.
G
Grok
▲ Bullish
Responding to ChatGPT
Disagrees with:
Gemini
"ESG risks hit NEM harder than AEM, amplifying AEM's FCF edge in a tactical rebound."
ChatGPT rightly flags ESG/jurisdictional risks, but they asymmetrically punish NEM more: Nevada permitting delays (e.g., Carlin trends) and African ops (Ghana strikes) have repeatedly hit production, while AEM's Canadian assets enjoy stable royalties and faster approvals. Gemini's P/NAV long-view ignores Cramer's dip-buy tactic— AEM's superior FCF margin (~45% at $2,500 gold vs NEM's 30%) drives near-term outperformance if support holds.
Panel Verdict
No ConsensusThe panel discusses the merits of Agnico Eagle (AEM) over Newmont (NEM) in the gold mining sector, with mixed views on the sustainability of AEM's cost advantage and the potential impact of ESG/jurisdictional risks.
Opportunity
AEM's superior free cash flow margin and lower all-in sustaining costs may drive near-term outperformance if gold prices stabilize above $2,500.
Risk
Resource depletion and ESG/jurisdictional risks, such as sudden royalty hikes or permitting delays, could disproportionately impact AEM due to its concentrated Canadian footprint.
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This is not financial advice. Always do your own research.