Is gold the best investment return option for 2021? : A company’s ability to sustain healthy dividend payouts is greatly enhanced if it has consistently low debt levels and strong cash flows, and the historical trend of the company’s performance shows steadily improving debt and cash flow figures. Since any company goes through growth and expansion cycles when it takes on more debt and has a lower cash on hand balance, it’s imperative to analyze their long-term figures rather than a shorter financial picture timeframe. In order to ascertain the investment merits of gold, let’s check its performance against that of the S&P 500 for the past 10 years. Gold has underperformed compared to the S&P 500 in the 10-year period ending Jan. 26, 2018, with the S&P GSCI index generating 3.27% compared to the The S&P 500, which has returned 10.36% over the same period.
Gold is a precious metal and we all know that. As we have mentioned earlier, gold holds a special place in any Indian household and is considered a wealth of the family, for example, the gold jewels are passed on from one generation to the other as a legacy and a symbol of family wealth. Have you ever tried to invest in real estate or tried to make any financial investment? If yes, then you must know that buying gold is much easier than real estate or anything else. It is safe for the people who are trying to start doing investments as very less risk is involved with the gold purchase.
Harry Schultz’ International Harry Schultz Letter (a paid subscription investment service) has gold going up eventually to $6,000 saying “We (collectively) are poised at a heart-stopping moment in economic times. On the one extreme side, the world is on the edge of massive deflation and depression. At the other extreme is – hyperinflation. My view is that both these extremes are possible. Certainly deflation is, on balance, in play today and gaining ground as money supply is actually declining! Hyperinflation seems impossible when there is not much inflation in most economies. But … hyperinflation is a monetary event, not an economic one, and will happen on an overnight basis, not via a general uptrend in inflation data… As I write, gold is holding very near its high, as most stock markets are bungee jumping. This implies the unexpected hyper is pending, because if it were exclusively deflation ahead, gold action would be less buoyant.”
Goldbugs have often encouraged investors to own the precious metal as part of a diversified long term investment portfolio. Gold is seen as a hedge against inflation and a store of value through thick and through thin. Holding gold, however, comes with unique costs and risks, and the data show that historically gold has disappointed on several of its purported virtues. In order to fully understand the purpose of gold, one must look back to the start of the gold market. While gold’s history began in 2000 B.C, when the ancient Egyptians started forming jewelry, it wasn’t until 560 B.C. that gold started to act as a currency. At that time, merchants wanted to create a standardized and easily transferable form of money that would simplify trade. The creation of a gold coin stamped with a seal seemed to be the answer, as gold jewelry was already widely accepted and recognized throughout various corners of the earth. Discover additional information on https://medium.com/@ken_poirot/investing-return-for-investment-5a305dcc156c.
Unlike paper currency, coins or other assets, gold has maintained its value throughout the ages. People see gold as a way to pass on and preserve their wealth from one generation to the next. Since ancient times, people have valued the unique properties of the precious metal. Gold doesn’t corrode and can be melted over a common flame, making it easy to work with and stamp as a coin. Moreover, gold has a unique and beautiful color, unlike other elements. The atoms in gold are heavier and the electrons move faster, creating absorption of some light; a process which took Einstein’s theory of relativity to figure out.
You may be familiar with the popularity of gold coins from infomercials and other advertisements. This form of buying and selling gold is well-known, and often more convenient than gold bars due to their smaller size. Investors can purchase gold coins from collectors or private dealers, and eventually sell for a profit. Dealers are located in most cities making gold coins easy to come by. Occasionally, you may run into gold coins that are marked up due to their collector’s value. The collector’s value can make them more expensive than the actual base value of the gold. Most casual investors will avoid these and focus on more widely circulated coins unless they are interested in becoming collectors as well. A few common examples are the U.S. eagle and the Canadian maple leaf.