Thursday, October 14, 2010

Why It’s Important to Invest in Gold

In recent years, the demand for gold coins has shot to very great heights thus increasing its prices. It is true to say that more investors are becoming very interested in this precious commodity because of its various properties, especially the fact that it is a liquid form of asset that can come in handy in times of need.

The commodity, as well as its stocks, have strongly rocketed in the bull market in recent times creating increased profits for those who have bought in. Although the price of this precious metal is determined by its level of supply and demand, its purchasing power and value have remained steadfast, increasing instead of decreasing, as is the case with most assets.

What makes the commodity a bull market is its outstanding fundamentals. Although the world’s gold mines are playing their part in supplying the commodity, the tons of gold produced are not enough to meet the ever increasing demand. There is an acute shortage of gold, especially because it is demanded for different purposes, including investment and industrial use, as well as jewelry.

One of the reasons it is important to buy gold coins is the fact that their value is increasing by the year, and so are the prices. This means that if you manage to buy a good quantity of gold at the moment, in the next few months or years you can see substantial growth. The commodity is very convenient as it saves investors from incurring losses since it is not affected by most things that affect other forms of investment assets. This factor greatly reduces major risks to the advantage of the buyer.

As in all products, it is important to do some research and investigate the bullish factors of gold to ensure that your decision is a good one and that you have an investment strategy that will work for you. One of the most important things to understand is the gold market behavior, as well as demand-supply trends and the prices of gold.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Gold Coins as an Investment

It is up to an interested investor to know the various ways to invest in gold. Gold is a commodity that is gaining in value making the prices shoot up as the years go by. The value of gold has never been zero; it has a lot of advantages and its purchasing power has remained steady. Gold investment comes in various forms; an investor can choose to suit his needs.

Small bars and coins

These small amounts of gold have been legal since the reign of King Croesus who ruled Lydia in Western Asia. What is particular about this king is that his wealth mainly came from the gold sands and mines of the Pactolus River, making them legal tender. Small coins and bars are an attractive means of investing for most investors especially because any gold meant for investment purposes is exempted from VAT in many countries and from the European Union as a whole.

Bullion coins

These coins are normally issued by a governing body in most countries. They are considered legal tender because of their face value, not their content of gold. However, in purchasing, the gold content is what gives them value and the premium rates may vary from one dealer to another, as well as from one coin to another.

Bullion coin premiums rely mostly on the size of the coin unlike in numismatic and commemorative coins whose value is determined by their quality and rarity in addition to their gold content.

Small bars of gold

Any bar weighing 100g downwards is considered small. Gold comes in a variety of sizes and weights, which of course vary in value and price. These bars contain 99.5% of fine gold and provide a great platform for investment for interested parties or institutions. There are only 94 accredited brands and gold bar manufacturers in the whole world who produce different types of gold bars.

A potential investor should not limit himself to one method of gold investment. Instead, thorough research can help a great deal when settling for a method of investing and deciding what form of gold one is to invest in. This is largely determined by the various needs of the buyer, as well as the reason he or she is buying and investing in this commodity.

Gold investments should be given the same keen analysis as any other form of investment.

Gold and the dollar

The demand for buying gold coins is increasing with every passing day. Since this commodity is known for withstanding depreciation, more investors regard it highly as the protector of their wealth. This is not only in the case of inflation, but also against other world currencies depending on what part of the world an buyer is situated in.

Gold has a good reputation, most especially when it comes to the US dollar, which is the main trading currency of the world. This commodity has proven to be an effective hedge surrounding the fluctuation of the dollar. This aspect about the precious commodity had been formalized in recent statistics making the demand shoot upwards and the price increase.

Research has proven that over the years gold has been an effective dollar hedge comparing its price and the exchange rate of other currencies of the world. It has been found that it correlated consistently negatively with the US dollar across all rates of exchange and over time. Despite economic turbulence over some periods, gold stood firm protecting investors against the instability and the fluctuation of exchange rates.

Other studies have been conducted and have proved that this precious commodity is not only a potent hedge protection against the US dollar, but also provides the dollar with protection when it is at the verge of losing value. This makes the loss very small, which is cleared by the appreciation periods of the dollar.

With this kind of knowledge and information, most investors are becoming wise enough to invest in this commodity rather than other kinds of assets as they know that its value is going to save them during the hard economic times. Gold is not losing value by the day, on the contrary, it is becoming more and more expensive and hard to get as the demand for it is on the increase. Investors and those who know the real value of this commodity are doing everything possible to have it available as a means of making money and maintaining wealth.

Gold has proven to be the most valued commodity over the years and that is not likely to change any time soon. So the more one can manage to invest in this commodity, the better it is for that individual or institution. Those looking for ways to improve their wealth, especially investors, should consider investing in gold as it is never been worth zero.