Gold is a lousy investment. Oh, I know it has gone up lots of late - outperforming real estate and stocks by a wide margin. But it is a lousy investment just in the sense that it does nothing for productivity or the economy. It is the natural resources equivalent of putting your money under your mattress. And my belief is that, in the long-run, for something to be a good investment in terms of returns, it has to be a good investment in terms of generating wealth. Gold at best stores wealth; it doesn't create it.
If you invest in real estate development or stocks, you actually put money into a general fund that can be used to create new jobs, new homes, and new products. By contrast, when you put your money into gold you divert money into a nothing more than speculation. (Unless you're betting on gold fillings make a big comeback.)
My guess? Gold will go the way that real estate did over the last few years: the "sure" investment that proves itself as susceptible to bubbles and busts as any.
Gold prices have recently dropped, but they're still high. I say sell now and put your money into something that actually creates something of value. Long-term, that is the only sensible play. For you or the economy that you ultimately depend on for prosperity.
3 comments:
What bothers me about gold is that its value is kind of an agreed-upon fiction. It has a nice sparkle for jewelry and conducts electricity well, but there's really no objective reason for it to be worth so much money. If tomorrow people decide that they really no longer like the stuff, it's value could plummet.
Gold in the hands of a good jeweler is...gold. It is late. I can't be held responsible for what I am typin'. I can omit final "g"s cuz I am from TX.
I do think it is neutral. Like investing in beige.
You're just annoyed that you didn't buy gold 3 years ago.
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