Generating Income From The Gold Trade Market

By Elena McDowell


Historically, people have considered gold as the most basic financial commodity. Governments may topple, economies spiral downward, and paper money lose its value due to inflation, but gold's value can never be undermined. This is evidenced in how the empires considered the richest in their time are those who have amassed great hordes of this precious metal. If you'd like to try your luck with in the gold trade market, here are some important tidbits to have.

Unlike bonds, stocks, and equities, the value of gold is recognized globally. Different from paper money, the worth of each item doesn't depend on the production rate and status of economy. Since it can be used in the creation of different items and materials, value is often dictated by market demand.

Like paper money, you can enter the gold trade market through bullion, futures, mutual funds, jewelry, and mining companies. However, unless you have a company that produces similar products, it may be sufficient to get involved in futures, mutual funds, and bullion.

The easiest way to say that you have this precious metal is to own bullion. Bullion has pure or almost pure form of gold, and is certified based on its weight and purity. Size can vary from a small coin to a huge brick or bar. However, albeit impressive, you may find it hard to just trade sections of a heavy brick. If trading is what you want and not collecting, settle for coins and smaller bars.

Coins are more popularly traded and they have different weights and sizes, making it the most convenient tool for investment. In addition, since it is a global commodity, it's easy to locate trustworthy dealers in any location. Remember that some coins are considered rare. They may trade for a higher price, but since they're uncommon, if you're new at trading, you may want to stick to the more popular ones.

There are also exchange traded funds or ETFs that focus only in this precious metal. Like in the usual unit investment trust funds (UITF), you only buy rights to a small part of this precious metal. These are easily traded, and can be sold in an IRA or brokerage account, similar to stocks. In addition, since the shares are smaller, low-budget investors can easily enter the market. The minimum investment is not that high, although there are other fees and additional expenses that you normally see in investment options.

Similar to ETFs, some mutual funds include bullion or investment in their own mining companies as part of their portfolio. If the company is focused only in gold investing, you'll have the option of diversifying your investment without putting too much thought in it. Since most mutual funds have experienced fund managers, there's no need to do company research on each individual company. For double checking purposes, you can compare the regularly released financial reports with current news you see about the companies in their portfolio.

Another option in the gold trade market is investment in futures. Rather than shares, contracts are traded, where you list a certain date to sell or buy. This can be a good option since commission expenses aren't that high, but this many be hard for starting investors since you have to sit tight until the contract matures, while taking note of changes in the market so you'll know if it's time to redeem the contract or have it rolled over once the expiration date is reached.




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