The Globe and Mail JOEL SCHLESINGER Published January 19, 2021 Bookmark Gold was the bright, shiny object of 2020, attracting haven-seeking investors as the pandemic weighed on global economies and markets. While gold has pulled back from its record highs in August, many investors are hanging onto their holdings as insurance against continuing market volatility and the threat of rising inflation. ETFs that hold physical gold and the miners that explore and produce it are considered the easiest, low-cost and most diversified way to play the commodity to help protect against adverse, unexpected economic events such as a pandemic, says David Kletz, portfolio manager at Forstrong Global Asset Management.