Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE:AUY) Struggling To Break Even

[[tagnumber 0]][[tagnumber 1]]In case you wonder which has been the most traded stock below $3.00 for quite a while now, it is Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE:AUY). With an average daily dollar volume of around $12 million, this company takes the lead by and large. And all this is happening despite the gargantuan fall in the market value of AUY shares during the last 2–3 years.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]]Indeed, AUY used to be traded above $5.00 a piece in October 2014, above the $10.00 mark in early–2014, and even close to $20.00 per share in January 2013. Since June 2015, however, the stock has remained stuck below the $3.00 threshold and is currently quoted at $1.93 per share roughly one hour before the end of today‘s session, following yet another hint at an impending interest rate raise by FED Chair Janet Yellen.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]][[tagnumber 6]]All this leads to show that AUY has been quite volatile and its stock price fluctuations have more or less been in unison with those of the precious yellow metal Yamana has been producing for quite some time now. Given that discussions for a possible FED–driven interest rate hike have stepped into the spotlight long ago showing no signs of slowing down, Yamana and its competitors seem likely to keep investors‘ interest in the months to come.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]]Last week, Yamana published its Q3 2015 financials and while the numbers revealed a slight increase in gold production as opposed to the preceding quarter, it was still slightly less on an annual basis. What is more, the company closed the quarter in the red once again, which is hardly surprising in the light of falling global gold prices. The negative bottom line might be the reason why investors reacted negatively, ultimately bringing the value of AUY stock down 7% on Oct. 29, the day the report saw the light of day. That the Canadian metal producer reported improved cash costs and co–product costs for gold apparently didn‘t yield any positive results, which could also be due to a disappointing increase in silver production costs.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]]Even though Yamana‘s most recent quarterly report has its strong moments, they have so far failed to push the stock north in an environment where gold and silver have lost 7% and 8% in market value for the last 6 months alone. Moreover, a forthcoming interest rate hike seems increasingly likely day after day. Were this to become a reality, gold prices might go further south, taking all gold stocks down with them.[[tagnumber 2]]