Is gold the safe investment commodity choice in 2021? : It has been tested time and again that gold provides a strong shield against inflation. Gold rates remain almost unaffected at the time of inflation and therefore, you do not have to suffer a loss when the inflation hits and even the currency rates go down in the global market. Now, talking in the Indian context, the value of Rupee has not been performing well in 2020 and therefore, investing in gold is not a bad idea at all. To find out exactly, if it is a good idea to invest in gold in 2020 lately, one must consider the cons of it because you don’t only buy the pros, you buy the cons too and thus, you should what are the downsides you will be facing by investing in gold in 2020?
Whether it is the tensions in the Middle East, Africa or elsewhere, it is becoming increasingly obvious that political and economic uncertainty is another reality of our modern economic environment. For this reason, investors typically look at gold as a safe haven during times of political and economic uncertainty. Why is this? Well, history is full of collapsing empires, political coups, and the collapse of currencies. During such times, investors who held gold were able to successfully protect their wealth and, in some cases, even use the commodity to escape from all of the turmoil. Consequently, whenever there are news events that hint at some type of global economic uncertainty, investors will often buy gold as a safe haven.
Rosenberg, the former Merrill Lynch North American Economist and current Chief Economist and Strategist for Gluskin Sheff, an independent investment firm for high net worth individuals, believes that “$3000 an ounce on gold may yet prove to be a conservative forecast.” He went on to say: “if the gold price to world GDP ratio were to ever scale up to the peak three decades ago, it would imply an ultimate peak for gold of $5,300 an ounce. if the relationship between gold and the M3 money measure where to revert to the 1990 high, then gold would move to $5,700 an ounce. if gold were merely put on the same footing as the CPI, and head back to the previous peaks in this ratio, it would suggest $2,300 as the peak in gold — only a double from here. if the gold price-M1 ratio was used then gold would go to $3,100 per ounce under the proviso that prior highs get re-established.”
The idea that gold preserves wealth is even more important in an economic environment where investors are faced with a declining U.S. dollar and rising inflation. Historically, gold has served as a hedge against both of these scenarios. With rising inflation, gold typically appreciates. When investors realize that their money is losing value, they will start positioning their investments in a hard asset that has traditionally maintained its value. The 1970s present a prime example of rising gold prices in the midst of rising inflation. The reason gold benefits from a declining U.S. dollar is because gold is priced in U.S. dollars globally. There are two reasons for this relationship. First, investors who are looking at buying gold (i.e., central banks) must sell their U.S. dollars to make this transaction. This ultimately drives the U.S. dollar lower as global investors seek to diversify out of the dollar. The second reason has to do with the fact that a weakening dollar makes gold cheaper for investors who hold other currencies. This results in greater demand from investors who hold currencies that have appreciated relative to the U.S. dollar. Read additional info at https://medium.com/@ken_poirot/gold-investing-in-gold-9ae9c3ee3118.
Gold has historically been an excellent hedge against inflation, because its price tends to rise when the cost of living increases. Over the past 50 years investors have seen gold prices soar and the stock market plunge during high-inflation years. This is because when fiat currency loses its purchasing power to inflation, gold tends to be priced in those currency units and thus tends to arise along with everything else. Moreover, gold is seen as a good store of value so people may be encouraged to buy gold when they believe that their local currency is losing value.
Why Is Gold Valuable? Gold is valuable largely because of its historic attachment to the value of our currency. In ancient times, gold was used for coins and jewelry because of its malleability. As paper currencies were developed, the notes were designed to correspond with a specific amount of gold. While this is no longer the case, gold’s historic importance in our financial system keeps this commodity valuable. According to The Motley Fool, about half of the world’s current demand for gold comes from jewelry. With another 40 percent being the demand for physical gold investments, such as coins and gold bars. Both investors and financial institutions purchase physical gold for these purposes, and most recently exchange-traded funds that buy gold on behalf of investors. The leftover demand for gold typically comes from the technology and medical industries.