The provider of commodity ETPs has made its gold, silver or "precious metal basket" offering available on two commission-free platforms.

ETF Securities is offering commission-free access to its physically-backed precious metal exchange-traded funds through partnerships with E*TRADE and Interactive Brokers.

“During severe market corrections, precious metals have tended to perform positively, providing some measure of protection during selloffs," said Steven Dunn, executive director and head of US distribution at ETF Securities.

“By extending the range of ETFs offered commission-free, we hope to give investors easier access to a potential risk management product to help dampen volatility and, in some cases, hedge against tail risk in portfolios,” Dunn said.

Commodity markets enjoyed an “exceptionally good ride in 2016,” with investor appetite leading to record inflows, ETF Securities noted. Global assets under management at the firm expanded by some $5.9 billion to $17.6 billion, the best performance since 2009, it said. 2016 was a particularly strong year for gold, with global inflows of $3.4 billion.

“Precious metal investment vehicles, like gold and silver ETFs, are often seen as 'safe haven' investments because they are composed of tangible commodities that keep their intrinsic value,” added Rich Messina, senior vice president of investment product management at E*TRADE.

All of the ETFs have been available commission-free on the Schwab ETF OneSource platform since 2013.