Why Should One Invest In Gold?

By Jack Wagon

Gold is one of the most popular and precious metals for investment today. Historically, gold has remained a measure of wealth as well as the medium of exchange for many years. It is more than just a commodity; it is unofficially a currency used all over the world. Central banks, all over the world, use gold to backup their respective currencies.

Gold can be used as an investment for two main reasons. Firstly, investors buy gold in order to benefit from rising gold prices. Secondly, investing in gold can be used as a hedging strategy against financial downturns or crisis.

Investments in gold can be made in a number of ways. The simplest way is to buy gold in the form of bars, coins or bullions. One can preserve wealth and pass it on to the future generations in this way. Solid gold can be bought from authorized dealers. This is the simplest and least risky way of investing in gold.

Investing in gold exchange traded funds is another way of investing in gold. One can trade these funds in the form of shares on the stock exchanges of the entire world. ETFs allow you to trade gold without physically storing it. Similarly, gold certificates can be bought and dealt in without storing physical gold. Yet another way of gold investment is through buying shares of gold mining companies or gold stocks. But it is crucial to make sure that the company you are dealing with has sound financial standing. Only then you can benefit from the soaring prices of gold. You as well as the gold mining company will make huge profits this way.

Various banks around the world offer gold accounts to the investors, where gold can be traded similar to any foreign currency. In this way, one can gain ownership of the account and the gold.

There are other kinds of ways according to which one can invest in gold. Gold derivative is a well known way of doing it. These are based on gold futures and gold future options that are used for speculations. But, this is a risky business because it requires great experience in this field. Those who are investing in gold for the first time or those who do not want to take any risk, should only invest in solid gold.

It is important for investors to diversify their portfolios in order to reduce risk. Many investors believe that gold can be a wise choice for diversification and can result in a healthy portfolio. Gold is a solid investment option and its prices usually do not fluctuate much in times of economic instability or recession. In recent times, the dollar has lost its place as a stable investment option, and investors are now becoming more and more interested in investing in commodities. During these difficult times, investors are more inclined towards investing their money in precious metals such as gold. Thus, it should be a part of every healthy portfolio. - 29959

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here