Investing in gold bullion and the price of gold

 Gold is one of the most popular commodities in the world to trade and invest in. It is bought and sold as a safety net against political and economic influencers, including social crises and the collapse of the regime. Compared to currency, the value of gold bars is quite stable with relatively minor fluctuations. There are several factors that can influence the gold price and supply and demand play an important role.

 Annual production plays a small role in how the price of gold bars changes. This is because the amount of gold stored is high compared to the amount of new gold mined each year. The World Gold Council has estimated that the total amount of gold mined annually in recent years has been 2,500 tons, with 2,000 of that going into the production of jewelry and dental / industrial products. That leaves 500 tons for retail investors and commercial funds. It has been estimated that there is demand for another 1000 tonnes of gold bullion for investment purposes.

 The success of investing in gold bullion is highly dependent on the world's major central banks and the International Monetary Fund, as they play a significant role in price. of gold. In 2004 central banks and other official organizations held 19% of all ground gold as official reserves, and are restricted to the amount of gold they can sell Washington Gold Agreement (WAG). WAG member states include the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, the Bank for International Settlements, and the International Monetary Fund. They are prohibited from selling more than 400 tons of gold each year, limiting the amount of gold available to independent investors.

 China and Russia, which are not members of WAG, have shown interest in increasing their gold reserves, which has added another competitor to the gold bullion investment market.

 What really influences the price of gold in the market can be separated into three main factors; bank failures, low or negative real interest rates and social / political crisis.

 When banks fail in the eyes of the public, there can be bank runs across the country, in which citizens quickly remove all their savings from the bank. When citizens take gold from banks, this can lead to the price of gold rising, as people worry that the value of paper money is worth nothing

 Demand for gold and other investment commodities increases when investment returns in the form of stocks, shares, and real estate are not worth the risk.

 There are several examples from history when the price of gold has skyrocketed in times of national crisis. The fear that currency will become useless or property will be seized leads to high demands for gold, because people always see sell gold as a way to buy food or escape.

 So now you have an idea of ​​how the price of gold is influenced, and that in times of bad economic fortune, gold often increases in value. So we've seen gold rise to over $ 1000 per ounce during the worst recession in three decades.

 

6 great reasons to own gold

 Gold is everywhere on the planet, but not in significant concentrations. It is difficult to understand the attractiveness and superiority of gold, but gold is respected around the world for its value. Because of the respect it demands, here are six great reasons why investors should own gold.

 Gold maintains its value

 Gold has a history of holding its value. The price of gold is often volatile in the short term, but it always maintains its value in the long term. For this reason, it serves as a solid hedge against inflation and currency erosion.

Supply restrictions

 Gold is extremely rare. According to geological data, essentially all gold is found only in low concentrations in rocks. And, a new gold mine can take a decade's worth of rewards to bring in new supplies of ore, with depletion starting as soon as the first load is pulled out.

 From 1990 to 2008, a large amount of the investment gold supply resulted from gold bullion sales from the vaults of central banks around the world. However, governments and central banks are now net buyers of gold, which means that they are buying and accumulating more gold bullion than they are selling.

 Gold does not default on promise or obligation

 All governments issue fiduciary treaties on paper (dollars, euros, pounds, yen, etc.). Fiduciary treaties have no real value and are backed by government decrees that promise to meet the established value. Throughout history, governments have printed too much currency, as the US has done at high speed since 2008.

 Historically, governments have also created inflation and devalued currency purchasing power as a measure to increase trade and exports. This also facilitates debt financing and social programs, such as Social Security. The problem is that retirees receive the promised checks from Social Security with no guarantee of the amount of goods and services the checks will buy.

 Deflation

 Deep-seated deflation in one country causes prices to decline, business activity to slow, and a central government burdened with massive debt. The money supply and credit are greatly reduced and overall spending slows down a bit.

 Unemployment and economic depression become the norm. During these times, the relative purchasing power of gold soars, while other prices drop sharply. In fact, people often subsist on a street-level barter system.

 Geopolitical uncertainty

 Gold retains its value not only in times of financial uncertainty, but also in times of geopolitical uncertainty. It is often called the "product of the crisis." When a country's government is in crisis, the reserve currency collapses and it can no longer finance its deficit.

 However, the market returns to natural monetization as the means for life to continue at the grassroots level. At this point, no other major currency in the world offers any refugees, but gold becomes a universal currency.

 As government balance sheets weaken, global banking systems deteriorate, and deflation sets in, gold in a portfolio makes sense.

 Portfolio diversification

 As emerging markets have grown, the demand for gold has increased. In these countries, gold is often intertwined with culture, and new money is available to accumulate bullion. India and China are two nations that are large consumers of gold.

 Many Americans are beginning to see commodities, especially gold, as an investment class to allocate money. A characteristic of a diversified portfolio is one that has investments that are not closely related to each other.

 As bonds have a negative correlation with stocks and rising interest rates, gold also has a negative correlation with stocks and rising rates.

 Gold tends to prove its own value as money. Gold is an "insurance policy" whose value to an investor is the universal monetary value.

 The bottom line

 Gold is an important part of a diversified investment portfolio because its price increases in response to events that cause the value of paper investments, such as stocks and bonds, to decline. The investment demand for sell gold has increased considerably, but new supplies from the mine will not increase in the near future, and new supplies are more likely to decline.

 Gold has historically endured as a safe and indestructible haven from the wealth of decline. Long-term gold provides diversification to a well-balanced investment portfolio.