Is gold the top investment commodity option for 2021? : Now coming back to the point of financial investment, today, we will try and answer the question that is it wise to invest in gold in 2020 or you should look somewhere else. Also, if investing in gold is, in fact, a great way to go, then how should one invest in gold? There are a lot of further subdivided questions that arise when we head on the way to answer this question and we will try to cover them all. To keep the information simple and elaborate at the same time, we will start with the basic and general info and then will make our way into more specific and technical domain. One more thing, to make the discussion more informative we will take up the example of gold rate in Mumbai and will stick to this to explain the concepts whenever required. So, without any further ado, let’s jump right into the discussion for today.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to every investment. If you are opposed to holding physical gold, buying shares in a gold mining company may be a safer alternative. If you believe gold could be a safe bet against inflation, investing in coins, bullion, or jewelry are paths that you can take to gold-based prosperity. Lastly, if your primary interest is in using leverage to profit from rising gold prices, the futures market might be your answer, but note that there is a fair amount of risk associated with any leverage-based holdings. (For related reading, see “Has Gold Been a Good Investment Over the Long Term?”).
Harry Schultz’ International Harry Schultz Letter (a paid subscription investment service) has gold going up eventually to $6,000 saying “We (collectively) are poised at a heart-stopping moment in economic times. On the one extreme side, the world is on the edge of massive deflation and depression. At the other extreme is – hyperinflation. My view is that both these extremes are possible. Certainly deflation is, on balance, in play today and gaining ground as money supply is actually declining! Hyperinflation seems impossible when there is not much inflation in most economies. But … hyperinflation is a monetary event, not an economic one, and will happen on an overnight basis, not via a general uptrend in inflation data… As I write, gold is holding very near its high, as most stock markets are bungee jumping. This implies the unexpected hyper is pending, because if it were exclusively deflation ahead, gold action would be less buoyant.”
Goldbugs have often encouraged investors to own the precious metal as part of a diversified long term investment portfolio. Gold is seen as a hedge against inflation and a store of value through thick and through thin. Holding gold, however, comes with unique costs and risks, and the data show that historically gold has disappointed on several of its purported virtues. In order to fully understand the purpose of gold, one must look back to the start of the gold market. While gold’s history began in 2000 B.C, when the ancient Egyptians started forming jewelry, it wasn’t until 560 B.C. that gold started to act as a currency. At that time, merchants wanted to create a standardized and easily transferable form of money that would simplify trade. The creation of a gold coin stamped with a seal seemed to be the answer, as gold jewelry was already widely accepted and recognized throughout various corners of the earth. See more information at https://medium.com/@ken_poirot/gold-investing-in-gold-9ae9c3ee3118.
Unlike paper currency, coins or other assets, gold has maintained its value throughout the ages. People see gold as a way to pass on and preserve their wealth from one generation to the next. Since ancient times, people have valued the unique properties of the precious metal. Gold doesn’t corrode and can be melted over a common flame, making it easy to work with and stamp as a coin. Moreover, gold has a unique and beautiful color, unlike other elements. The atoms in gold are heavier and the electrons move faster, creating absorption of some light; a process which took Einstein’s theory of relativity to figure out.
Simply put, gold futures are contracts to buy and sell gold at a certain point in time. Each contract represents a certain amount of gold, and depending on the specifications can pay out in either a dollar amount or the physical gold. Gold futures can be very large, making this a strategy best suited to investors with the capital to purchase high-valued contracts. There are also options on gold futures to consider. This provides investors the option to purchase a futures contract for a preset price at a certain point in time. Options can help buyers leverage their initial investment, though they are required to pay the underlying value of the gold to fully own the option. Both gold futures and options are considered to be volatile — making them more difficult to break into and manage when compared to other forms of gold investments.