Is Physical Gold and Silver a Good Investment?
Physical gold and silver tend to increase with investor fear and uncertainty, making them popular safe-haven investments.
Purchase of physical gold and silver coins requires working through an intermediary dealer, whether online or offline, which can take time and incur fees such as storage.
No counterparty risk
One of the primary advantages of physical gold and silver investments is their absence of counterparty risk, meaning you aren’t exposed to any risk that someone else could break a promise or contract and you lose all your funds as a result. This feature becomes especially powerful during financial crises.
Gold bullion and coins are considered safe havens during times of geopolitical unrest, leading to price surges during geopolitical events which threaten war or instability. Such events create sudden demand for bullion that’s difficult for central banks alone to meet with stockpiles alone.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer another means of investing in gold; however, ETFs don’t give direct ownership. Furthermore, you may incur storage or other fees related to your account. When it comes to buying precious metals from dealers both online and brick and mortar stores it is essential that you check their reputation as well as compare fees before completing a purchase decision.
They are a store of value
Investment in precious metals has long been seen as a reliable hedge against inflation and economic instability. Gold and silver both make great choices; how you approach their purchase may depend on your goals. Gold tends to be more valuable, but silver offers industrial uses at reduced prices and is VAT/Capital Gains Tax-free in most jurisdictions.
Physical bullion can be the easiest and most practical way to invest in gold and silver, allowing you to store it safely at home or in a vault. However, it has less liquidity compared with more liquid financial instruments like shares or ETFs.
Owning physical metal also comes with one major advantage: no counterparty risk. There’s no promise or obligation, and its repayment cannot take the form of currency; this makes managing your portfolio simpler than ever!
They are a hedge against inflation
Fear of inflation has investors searching for new ways to preserve their purchasing power and prevent it from decreasing over time. Gold and silver have historically proven useful tools in protecting purchasing power from inflation; however, investors should keep in mind that these metals do not generate income like stocks and bonds do.
Investors seeking physical gold and silver can do so via various avenues, but it is vital that they research each of them thoroughly prior to investing. Each method offers its own advantages and disadvantages, with coins purchased directly at an online vendor being an easy and inexpensive method that may become complicated when amassing large quantities of bullion.
Another option for investors to consider is opening a precious metals account, similar to traditional IRAs but backed by physical gold and silver bullion. While such accounts may cost more than purchasing physical bullion directly, they provide greater liquidity while being safer and tax-efficient than physical purchases alone.
They are a safe haven
Physical gold and silver don’t carry counterparty risk like financial instruments do, since their value doesn’t depend on another party for legitimacy or valuation. Furthermore, unlike stocks or bonds which encumber multiple parties for legitimacy or valuation purposes, bullion cannot be fraudulently created out of thin air making it a safe haven against inflation.
Bullion prices tend to surge during periods of stock market turmoil and global financial issues like fear of debt default or economic instability, due to its inverse relationship with stocks.
Investors must take note of the liquidity drawback associated with physical metals investments. Selling 10-ounce bars of silver can be more challenging than selling 1-ounce of gold bars, and storage costs can become prohibitively costly. If liquidity is paramount for you, consider investing in precious metal royalty/streaming companies instead; these allow investors to sell their investments during trading hours like a stock.
Categorised in: Blog