Newmont Mining ( NEM ) is one of the largest gold mining companies in the world. Whereas the unemployment rate fell to 5.7% in January, as compared to around 6.7% a year ago, the Fed is also looking at the pace of increase in wages. Gold as an investment is often viewed as a hedge against inflation and economic weakness, and investors typically shift towards other asset classes such as equities and interest-bearing securities with an improvement in macroeconomic conditions.