Gold has long been associated with wealth and status; inspiring legends and wars alike as an ancient form of currency and modern-day investments alike. Gold’s allure spans from ancient pharaohs to contemporary investors; from Ancient Pharaohs through to Modern Investors alike have long sought this precious metal out; instead of holding physical bars or coins now investors turn towards Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) instead; but what are they and are they worthy investments?
What Is a Gold ETF?
A Gold ETF is an exchange-traded fund designed to track the price of gold. Instead of purchasing and insuring physical gold bars themselves, investors can purchase shares in this ETF that corresponds to one ounce or even fraction thereof and trade on major stock exchanges for easy accessibility to all types of investors.
Advantages of Investing in Gold ETFs:
Liquidity: Gold ETFs can be bought and sold throughout each trading day at market prices at major stock exchanges, providing maximum liquidity.
Investors don’t need to be concerned with storing, transporting or insuring physical gold for investment purposes.
Purity: With an ETF dedicated to gold, there’s no concern for its purity unlike with physical gold which may sometimes contain alloyed elements that compromise its composition.
Diversification: Gold is often seen as providing diversification for an investment portfolio, making gold ETFs an effective means for increasing diversification in an investment portfolio.
Lower Transaction Costs: ETFs typically carry lower transaction costs when compared with purchasing gold coins and bars, which often feature excessive markups.
Risks and Considerations for Gold Investment:
Price Volatility: As with any investment, gold prices are susceptible to fluctuations; over short timeframes this volatility could become significant.
ETF Expenses: While Gold ETFs tend to be lower-priced alternatives than physical gold, their expenses often include management fees which must be covered as part of the asset manager fee structure.
Physical Ownership of Gold: Some purists believe that owning physical gold would give true ownership status; in an extreme economic or geopolitical crisis situation however, having physical gold could prove advantageous.
Tracking Error: Although gold ETFs aim to mirror the price of gold closely, there may still be subtle discrepancies due to fees, expenses and the mechanics of their operation.
Gold ETF May Be Right Investment Option for You?
Investment decisions relating to Gold Exchange Traded Funds depend on your goals, risk tolerance and expected price movement of gold. If economic or geopolitical tensions may exacerbate supply constraints that drive demand (and price) of the metal upwards, an ETF might serve as an ideal hedge. Also useful as diversification tools – gold ETFs may counterbalance potential drops across other asset classes.
Keep in mind, however, that all investments involve risks; no single investment should form too large an element in your portfolio without diversification being the key element to its success.
Conclusion
Gold ETFs offer an effective, accessible, liquid, and cost-efficient means of investing in physical gold without its associated hassles or physical ownership costs. Like any investment strategy, these ETFs present risks and rewards that should be carefully evaluated with help from your financial adviser in order to determine whether these ETFs suit your investment strategy or not.
