Four of the nine known precious metals are regarded as investment commodities. Of these four, gold is among the most popular. Investing in gold is a way of protecting against crises that could be brought about by economic or political instability or by social unrest.

You’ll find at least six ways of committing to gold:

Buying gold coins:

This can be a most popular way of investing in gold. Gold bullion coins are typically priced based on their weight; a premium is added to the gold spot price. Gold and silver coins may be bought or sold over the counter in most Swiss banks.

Buying gold bars:

Here is the most traditional way of committing to gold. As in gold bullion coins, bullion gold bars can be bought or sold over the counter in most Swiss banks, as well as in major banks in Liechtenstein and Austria. There are also bullion dealers that provide this same form of service. Gold bars however are becoming less and less an option among investors due to the difficulties (in the verification process, transportation, and storage) linked to them.

Opening a gold account:

Gold accounts can be obtained by most banks in Switzerland. Here, gold can be bought or sold in much the same way foreign currencies are dealt. A gold account is backed either through non-fungible (allocated) gold storage or pooled (unallocated) storage.

Running a gold certificate:

A gold investor may opt to hold on to a gold certificate instead of store the physical gold bullion. The gold certificate allows the investor to purchase and sell the security and eliminate the many difficulties associated with the actual gold’s transfer.

Trading in Gold Exchange-Traded Funds (GETFs):

Trading in GETFs is similar to trading shares in, say, the newest York Stock Exchange or the London Stock trading game. Gold Bullion Securities, the initial GETF introduced (in 2003, about the Australian Stock Exchange), stood for 1/10 of an ounce of gold. GETFs make the perfect means of gaining exposure to the buying price of gold, minus the inconvenience of storage. Trading in GETFs involves payment of commission and storage fee (charged on an annual basis). The expenses incurred with regards to the handling of the fund are charged from the selling of a certain amount with the gold as represented through the certificate. Over time, the amount of gold in the certificate, as may be expected, decreases.

Entering inside a Contract For Difference (CFD):

A few of the noted financial services firms, particularly those in the United Kingdom, provide Contract for Difference (CFD). With this gold investment vehicle, two parties (a „buyer“ along with a „seller“) enter into a contract, in which the seller agrees to cover the buyer the difference between the current value of gold and its value at contract time. Should the difference is negative, the vendor receives payment instead from the buyer. A CFD, therefore, allows an angel investor to take advantage of long or short positions, enabling him/her to take a position on these markets.

In a very related scenario, an investor may buy gold at the beginning of a condition where there is increased investor confidence. The investor then sells the gold before an overall decline in the stock market sets in. Obviously in this case, the investor’s aim is to gain financially.

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