precious metals
 

Hello,

Does anyone invest in precious metals or precious metal shares? Gold, Silver, etc.

Just looking to exchange ideas on this sector.

Re: precious metals
 

Investing in a few metals is usually stupid. The historical risk-adjusted return is really low. Take silver, for instance. Historically, it has had a return of about 4%, less than T-bills. Yet its price has varied with an annualized standard deviation of 55%. Even look at gold: its historical annualized return is about 5% and its annualized standard deviation has been around 25%.

Nevertheless, commodity futures funds are a valuable asset class to include in your portfolio because they don't really correlate with stocks.

Re: precious metals
 

Barclays has filed the forms to purchase for their ETF an amount of silver equivalent to one year's worth of production.

Re: precious metals
 

If you were to track the Dow versus Gold from '71 (after Nixon eliminated all remaining backing of the US Dollar by Gold) you'll find the appreciation to be equal.

Re: precious metals
 

Yes, investing in metals can be very stupid.

Yet the very stats that make gold a lousy investment make it a perfect trading vehicle for disciplined and systematic non-discretionary traders. For example gold was recently over $700-- and just 2 or 3 weeks ago was below $570.

From time to time investment vehicles start acting like trading vehicles, and vice versa. We may very well be entering into one of those rare investment periods for gold.

Re: precious metals
 

VGPMX

Re: precious metals
 

Gold is a hedge against inflation. Its not that great of an investment. Kinda like a high yield savings account but with more risk. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Max

Re: precious metals
 

Gold is not the best hedge against inflation.

Re: precious metals
 

Gold is breaking out again over 600USD/ounce. Next stop is the 680-700 range.

Does anyone invest in junior mining exploration stocks? They are high risk/high reward investments. Actually, gambling would be the more appropriate word because a majority of these companies have no revenues.

Re: precious metals
 

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Gold is not the best hedge against inflation.

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So what is? TIPS? Soybeans?