Discover real estate, stocks, and other investments that will drive global growth in the 21st century. Gold and silver are particularly popular commodity investments, due in large part to their historical relationship with money. Governments once used gold and silver to make their currency. While no major economy uses gold or silver as the basis for their currency anymore, investors still regard these two metals as active stores of value.
Silver is more volatile, cheaper and more closely linked to the industrial economy. Gold is more expensive and is a better way to diversify your overall portfolio. One or both could have a place in your portfolio. Another alternative to buying gold is investing in metals for electric vehicles, such as nickel and cobalt.
Like gold and silver, platinum is traded around the clock on global commodity markets. In normal phases of market and political stability, it often fetches a higher price (per troy ounce) than gold simply because it is much rarer. Far less metal is extracted from the soil each year. When you think of the world’s obsession with gold, it’s easy to get caught up in adventures and mysteries like panning for gold during the gold rush, pirate ships, and treasure maps.
Some of these people even go so far as to confiscate gold. Therefore, an offshore operation is a great way to properly store gold and avoid seizing gold. And some people still do that, but instead of burying gold bars in their backyard, they buy stocks or investment funds that invest in gold. The dollar could not be converted into gold since President Richard Nixon ended the practice in 1971. [1] Before that, people bought gold bars to diversify their investment portfolio and protect themselves from inflation.
