Inflation is rising, countries are going bankrupt, and preparing for a market crash is becoming normal. Investing in physical gold or gold stocks is becoming popular for investors. We crack down on this answer and find out who rules.
If you want to protect yourself against inflation or if you want to diversify your investment portfolio so you are protected when there is a market crash, one of the best things you can do is to devote a portion of your total portfolio in gold or other precious metals.
With that said, there are many ways you can go about doing this. You can actually invest in gold bullion or gold coins or you can invest in gold mining stocks.
Table of Contents
Gold's Traditional StrengthGold & Stock Advantages and DisadvantagesThe Advantage of Gold StocksAre Gold Stocks a Good Investment?The Disadvantages of Gold StocksThe Advantages of Physical GoldThe Downside of Physical GoldDiversification is the KeyTiming is Crucial When Investing in EitherIs it Better to Buy Gold or Gold Stocks?Both Gold, Just Not the Same
When talking about physical gold and mining stocks, there are some obvious similarities and even some unique differences. For one, physical gold is a smart way to hedge against inflation. In other words, whatever value your investment portfolio loses because of inflation, you can recover in terms of appreciation of your gold holdings.
Gold mining stocks have the potential to offer more growth compared to just gold. In many cases of a typical stock market bull run, it makes sense to focus more on stocks instead of precious metals. To be clear as to your overall strategy regarding gold mining stocks vs physical gold, you must first know your overall investment objectives.
Both Have Their Unique Benefits For Investors
Are you looking for your investment portfolio to grow substantially over a short period of time or are you looking primarily for a hedge. Similarly, if you are considering getting into gold, why are you doing so, are you looking to actually grow the value of the gold portion of your investment portfolio or are you looking for a hedge against inflation or a market crash. Keep the following question in mind. Know your investment objectives: Growth or hedge.
When it comes to determining the value of investing in either stocks or gold, one thing is clear. Gold has certain traditional strengths that both these investment forms share. That's right, mining stocks and physical gold share these particular strengths.
Gold's traditional strengths are not going to change, they are: Traditional store of value, liquidity and refuge in times of economic uncertainty. Moreover, gold has a strong industrial demand and is often used for jewelry. These traditional strengths of gold never changed. Both types of gold have this common core of strength.
Now that we've established this traditional strength, there are particular features that are attractive to gold mining stocks that are not present in physical gold and vice versa.
Gold stocks are not physical gold. When you invest in a gold stock, you're not buying a position in physical gold or gold bullion or gold coins. The benefit is quick gains if these mining stocks do well. Physical gold is better suited for long, secure investments.
You are investing in miners, keep this in mind. When you are investing in gold mining stocks, you are investing in equities. In other words, you are investing in stocks. You are investing in particular companies.
You are betting that they are well managed compared to other companies in their industry. If you make the wrong bet, your investment isn't going to appreciate much. Why? You aren't investing in the health of the gold market or gold in general. You have, instead, invested in the health of one particular company.
Read more: Proof vs. Uncirculated Coins: Comparison Analysis
Is a Gold ETF better than physical gold?
The big advantage of gold stocks/ETFs is that they appreciate like stocks. So if there is a big run up in stock values and driven by either an increase in gold prices or market shocks, gold mining stocks go up. These stocks appreciate life stocks so the appreciation can be quite significant.
Can I get physical gold from gold ETF?
However, they are still stocks. And this is why many investors who want to make 'pure gold plays' get cold feet with gold miners. Regular company stocks appreciate in value partly due to their own individual performance and partly due to the performance of other stocks in their industry, as well as based on the health of the stock market in general. There are so many other extra considerations to keep in mind.
Suited For Investors Looking for Quick Gains With Potential Losses
Compare this to betting strictly on pure gold. With that said, if you pick the right mining stocks, they might appreciate much faster than other stocks and even gold metal prices.
Are gold ETFs safe?
The problem with investing in gold stocks/ETFs is that while gold shares in general tend to go up due to market sentiment, you still have to pick the right stocks. That's right, if there is an impending markets crash or there are market shocks or inflation picks up, gold mining shares go up.
However, if you really want to place a bet on gold mining shares that will continue to go up and produce the best return on investment, you basically have to play this investment the same way you would general stocks. That's right, you still have to pick the right stocks.
It makes a lot of sense to employ tried and proven stock selection methods like picking out dominant market players, selecting based on price earnings, analyzing news. In other words, you have to use the same analysis you would use when picking out shares of stock. This could be a serious disadvantage because even if you use these analytical tools, you're not as sure that you are going to be picking the right stock.
Read more: Why Silver Is Going Up: Our Yearly Investment Analysis
If stock investment really was just a function of looking at a broad range of data points and picking the shares that meet those data points, then there will be a lot more millionaires playing wall street than we have now. The reality is that data can only take stock picks so far. There is still a market and the market operates within its own rules and has its own trends.
It's anyone's guess which gold mining investments are worth it in the long hall. Be that as it may, if you employ traditional stock picking techniques for picking out gold mining stocks, your chances of making the right play are higher than if you just randomly chose stocks by throwing darts at the list of gold mining stocks.
Physical gold is very liquid. That's not much of an advantage because gold mining stocks are also liquid. However, the great thing about physical gold is that it reflects the market's sentiment against economic downturns much faster than gold mining stocks.
Gold mining stocks, while they are engaged in the business of gold, they are valued differently. Why, gold miners are very different from each other. Gold mining companies differ in terms of overall company health, personnel, industry, as well as specific gold mines that they are mining.
There are so many variables that among gold mining stocks that the only thing really that they have in common is that they are all involve in the business of getting physical gold out of the earth.
You don't have this variability when you are investing in physical gold. The appreciation of physical gold is more stable, more constant and it's across the board. Why, because you're dealing in physical gold. Gold prices are the same the world over.
Read more: Gold vs. Bitcoin: Detailed Comparison
One borrowed gold is the same as a borrowed gold at the other side of the planet. Compare this with investing in gold mining stocks or in gold coins. There are other sources of value variation that you really cannot control and that you cannot account for.
If you want to maximize the peace of mind you have regarding the value of your gold investment, it's a good idea to invest in physical gold.
This is a key distinction in determining the difference of gold stocks andphysical gold. The physical gold is a tremendous hedge against market trends. It's a better hedge than gold mining stocks because the reaction you get in gold prices is clearer and more decisive when investing in physical gold.
For those that are interested in investing in physical precious metals over stocks, we recommend you take a look at our list of the top dealers in the industry. These cover options for investing through your retirement or through other means.
The downside of physical gold is that just like other direct gold investments, it tends to get left behind when the equities market improves. When inflation takes beating or the stock market zooms to new record, the price of physical gold generally, not as an iron rule tends to go down.
If you have bad market timing skills or you tend to have a buy and hold strategy, you might get left in the dust when the market improves. You might end up holding on to physical gold for too long. The great thing about gold mining stocks is that they might be able to retain their value for a longer period of time compared to physical gold.
They can go up in value faster than actual physical gold given the right market conditions. Physical gold is like taking the temperature of the overall global economy. It can go up and down very-very quickly. Gold mining stocks because they are based on other variation features can take their time to reflect market conditions.
As a result, you were given enough leeway in terms of valuation. You don't necessarily get this with physical gold. Physical gold tends to zoom up and down very quickly.
If you want to lock in on gold's value for your investment portfolio, it's a great idea to diversify. Not only do you diversify in terms of adding precious metal to your overall investment portfolio, you diversify in your positions of gold.
You can diversify your precious metals by investing in silver, platinum, palladium, as well as gold. However, you can add another layer of diversification by buying gold stocks, silver mining stocks and platinum mining stocks.
In other words, you can turn investment differences to your advantage because as mentioned above, these different forms of investing in gold or precious metals have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. You can use this diversification as a hedge and actually make money through the differences.
If you are looking to leverage the advantages of gold, timing is crucial. You have to know when to hold this precious metal in a particular form.
You have to know when to buy physical gold and unload physical gold. You have to know when to buy gold stocks and when to liquidate your positions. If you are looking to use a buy and hold strategy for physical gold, as mentioned above, you might hold on for a long period of time.
You might put yourself in a position where the stock market has completely recovered and vaporized the gold appreciation value of your holdings and you might still be hanging on to physical gold. Consider physical gold versus the stock market to better understand their investment differences. You have to remember that you have to hold your investments in varying forms and that these different forms is a form of diversification.
You have to be very ready, willing, and able to change the forms of your investments so you not only preserve their overall value but also position yourself to make money on the upswings.
Diversification only works if you time it correctly because if you hang on to a particular form of investment and hang on for a long period of time, you're not actually diversifying.
In fact, you might be opening yourself up to all sorts of investment risks. You have to time the form of your diversification strategies correctly. This is easier said than done. If investors were very good at timing their entries and exits with certain investment positions, most investors would do quite well in the market.
Sadly, only a small minority know how to time their investments well enough to capture the full appreciation of their stocks. The good news is with gold and precious metals in general such as silver and how high silver will get in the markets, you have a longer time frame than when buying stocks or other more highly liquid investment forms.
Related LinksStocks Vs. Forex: The Best Investment For You
Is It True That Gold Is Not in a Bubble Situation?
Why Include Gold Mining Stocks in Your Portfolio?
Which Country Has the Most Gold? - World's Global Gold Reserves