Is the riskiest and darkest sector in 2015 set to become one of the safest bets on the ASX this year?

It sounds crazy, but there’s growing debate that mining stocks may become a “safe haven” following the collapse in the sector over the past few years – and this view isn’t dependent on a rebound in commodity prices either! Investing in resource stocks has been the quickest way to lose money with the S&P/ASX 300 Metal & Mining Index shedding two-thirds of its value over the past five years when the All Ordinaries is up 4%. It’s safe to say no one is ready to bet on a sustained recovery in commodity prices but the mining sector – along with energy – are the only sectors with “Armageddon” priced into their shares. If global equity markets are poised for a bear-market as some doomsayers are forecasting, then the downside risk for resource stocks will be a lot lower than for financials and industrials. And if the bulls are right about equities rebounding after a horror start to the New Year, resource stocks may not be such foolish bet either.