Better Buy: Freeport-McMoRan Inc. vs. Hecla Mining Company
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) is one of the world's largest copper and gold miners. Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL) is a relatively small silver and gold miner with a North American focus. If you are looking at this pair of miners, however, you'll want to step back and examine some big-picture facts before making any moves -- and you might want to hold off on both names.
If you are trying to find a copper miner, then Freeport-McMoRan is clearly a better option than Hecla, which doesn't really provide exposure to copper. That said, you'll want to tread cautiously with Freeport today because of the ongoing control issue with Freeport's Grasberg mine in Indonesia.
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Source: Fool.com