Jefferies Is Betting Big on Mining Stocks for 2026. Here Is Barchart’s Top-Rated Name.

With the run-up in prices for many precious metals this year, the metals and mining sector is expected to have a good 2025. Exchange-traded funds that track the sector, such as the State Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME), are up 83% year-to-date (YTD).

Jefferies analyst Christopher LeFemina is among those betting that the run will continue in 2026. He wrote in the firm’s Mining Minutes note that “the sector should outperform again as a result.”