GOLD- A BEGINEER'S GUIDE

GOLD- A BEGINEER'S GUIDE


For centuries gold has been coveted for its unique blend of near indestructibility, beauty, rarity and because of its status as a universal currency. Empires and nations have sought to possess gold as a medium of international exchange, as a store of wealth and in order to increase and preserve power. Individuals have used gold as a store of wealth and as insurance against the fluctuations and depreciation of paper money and other macroeconomic and geopolitical risks. Perhaps no other market in the world has the universal appeal of the gold market.

Successful investing is about the diversification and management of risk. In layman's terms this means not having all your eggs in one basket. We know from history that markets can and do crash and if you are not diversified your entire nest egg can be wiped out.

So a healthy portfolio includes a wide range of assets including a variety of equities with exposures to different market sectors and regions; a variety of different countries’ bonds; a diversified property portfolio; a cash component and a 5-15% allocation to gold-related investments and gold bullion. The key is to determine what amount of each asset class to have. In a globalised and increasingly integrated global economy, a portfolio should be compiled based upon current global macroeconomic fundamentals.

Some exposure to gold should be included in all diversified portfolios. A good rule of thumb would be a minimum allocation of around 10% to gold and related gold-investments.

One’s motivation for buying gold is fundamental to deciding in which form you should buy it. Are you a speculator, investor or saver? Do you wish to take a short term speculative position in gold? Are you investing for the short, medium or long term? Or are you diversifying, saving or using gold as a form of financial insurance?

Investing in physical gold

Physical gold should form a part of every properly diversified portfolio. It is a universal finite currency, held by every central bank of note in the world . In the same way that the family home should not be regarded as an investment, gold is not an investment per se, rather a form of ‘saving for a rainy day’ or of financial insurance. It is to be taken possession of or stored with a secure third party and should not be traded. One does not trade an insurance policy and thus as a form of financial insurance, physical gold should not be traded.

Gold bullion is the ultimate safe haven asset and a great way, if not the best way, of ensuring wealth preservation and for passing wealth from one generation to the next. Once the solid base or core holding of gold bullion is achieved in a portfolio then other investments in gold such as mining stocks and mutual funds and other more speculative gold investments can be considered.

The World Gold Council is an excellent resource for investors wishing to further assess and study the various ways to buy gold.

Investing in gold: conclusion

As we have seen, there are major differences in the various motivations for buying gold and ways to buy gold – from trading and speculating to investing and saving.

Holding precious metals in a portfolio can provide distinct benefits in the form of speculative gains, investment gains, hedging against macroeconomic and geopolitical risk and / or wealth preservation. Traditional asset allocation theory, as represented by the investment pyramid, advocates higher risk speculations at the top, with lower risk assets at the bottom. Commodity futures contracts, options and exploration junior mining companies should be placed at the top of the pyramid, while cash equivalents and fully allocated or taken delivery of physical bullion should form the foundation or base.

Experienced and knowledgeable investors have long known that gold and gold related investments can be solid investment choices. Gold is stable in times of global geopolitical instability and when there is economic uncertainty, recessions and depressions. It is important that investors look at their portfolios holistically. Used correctly, gold and gold related investments can be highly effective components of a properly diversified investment portfolio.