It can be very surprising that something that is dug up from the ground can be worth anything in the modern age and economy. However, precious metals have just as much relevancy today as they did in the past. Precious metals of all kinds have maintained their value over time and they continue to be sought-after assets for investors and to facilitate global trade.

You can find artifacts discovered as far back as 4,000 B.C. that showcase just how long precious metals like gold have been seen as a valued resource. There’s evidence a thousand years later that gold mines were found in ancient Egypt which likely began the same effort that exists today to both produce and store wealth.

One of the more important milestones in precious metals becoming viable as a trade commodity can be dated back to 560 B.C. when coins were initially formed. It was in the Greek state known as Lydia where it started. The Roman legion was paid monthly salaries in coins forged out of precious metals. A single coin’s value was around the same as 200 pounds of flour and 30 gallons of cheaper wine.

What’s even more amazing is that the value hasn’t disappointed. A modern worker would likely be just as satisfied with receiving payment in gold. This only goes to show how much staying power precious metals have had throughout the years and it shows the strength of precious metals going into the future. In an economy of such uncertainty, precious metals provide that level of certainty a lot of investors seek.

It shouldn’t be any surprise that precious metals continue to be sought-after and that they play such a pivotal role in the modern economy. After all, there are derivatives traded on exchanges including futures that feature a very liquid precious metals market.

In this article, we will be going over more information about this futures market and why you should care.

Some Background

To gain a better grasp of the futures market for precious metals, you’ll want to have a firm understanding of the background.

In the past, gold coins were traditionally minted with a single weight of one ounce. This is likely the main reason why the value of gold continues to be quoted today on a per-ounce basis. A single gold bar typically weighs 100 ounces. This is also the total amount covered by a single gold futures contract.

Thus, with gold at this moment trading at approximately $1,320 per ounce, it means that the notional value of a single bar of gold and a standard futures contract equally sit at $132,000.

Silver is a precious metal that doesn’t have a market value near gold. It’s significantly lower. However, like gold, it’s quoted by the ounce. Right now, the market price of silver sits at $17 per ounce.

Silver is less valuable than gold. Because of this, the majority of silver futures contracts will be denominated in much larger quantities. For instance, the larger silver futures contract can cover 5,000 ounces. Whereas, the smaller contract would only cover 1,000 of them.

This ends up translating to a notional value of $85,000 for a large contract of silver and $17,000 for a small contract of silver assuming it’s sitting at $17 per ounce.

There are plenty of other precious metals including palladium, platinum, and more. However, in this scenario, we are only focusing on the two most actively traded in the market.

Precious Metals Futures Contracts

If you want a more in-depth explanation of futures contracts, we recommend you visit USA futures to learn all the intricate details.

A contract in the precious metals market is a legally binding agreement to take physical delivery of a pre-determined precious metal at a future date for a set price. The overall details of the contract including the quantity, time, quality, and delivery location are standardized by the actual exchanges. Thus, you end up having price as the only variable component of the contract.

A precious metals future contract requires you to take physical delivery of the precious metals you are bidding on after the expiration date. With that being said, a lot of the futures positions taken are fully closed before this date. This eliminates needing to take delivery of the physical metals.

Much like other future products in the marketplace, there are two distinct positions you can take. You can either go long by buying the contract or you can go short by selling the contract. When you buy the contract, you are operating under the obligation that you will have to accept delivery of the physical metal. Whereas, when you go short, you will be obligated to deliver the metals to the respective buyer.

As mentioned previously, the overall specifications of the futures will vary from contract to contract. This is particularly true when you are talking about quantity. You will find that the 100-troy-ounce is typically the most common contract, there are also others including mini contracts that only cover 33.2-troy-ounces.

The most common quantities of silver futures contracts include 5,000 and 1,000 ounces. You’ll want to understand the total quantity involved and the total amount of capital you will need. You also need to ensure you understand the specifics of the contract before establishing any kind of position.

The Different Trading Strategies

As with other futures products, you have different trading strategies you can utilize. Trading precious metals futures can offer the flexibility and diversity that you might want for your portfolio.

A future contract is usually considered an ideal investment vehicle for a lot of investors because they are traded on highly liquid centralized exchanges. This means that you can not only gain additional leverage easily, but you can also benefit from increased liquidity compared to having physical goods. Financial leverage is the ability to effectively trade and manage a higher market value asset and product without having the total capital normally required.

When it comes to the gold futures market, a trader would have the chance to leverage $1 to control as much as $15. However, you need to know both sides of the coin. It also means that you take on much more risk when you take on leverage. Thus, you have higher potential returns, but it comes with higher risk.

From a strategy standpoint, the main use of a precious metals future contract comes down to speculation, hedging, and trading a spread. This is the same as most future trading principles.

When it comes to speculation, it refers to the expression of a directional bias. Meaning, you think it’s going to increase or decrease in value.

When it comes to hedging, you can use futures to lock in the current price for the future.

One of the main things that make precious metals futures so unique is that you can use precious metals to hedge for inflation. A lot of investors have worries that holding fiat currency can expose them to more inflation risk. Whereas, if you invest in precious metals and tangible/finite resources, you can mitigate some of the risks.

By diversifying your holdings in physical goods or futures contracts based on physical assets, you can offset some of the risk associated with inflation.

Thus, it adds another dimension for market participants. This dimension includes having those that are hedging against inflation and those that are hedging against future discoveries or even other holdings.

This is one of the primary reasons why the overall value of precious metals can increase during global economic instability. A lot of investors will be exiting their growth and riskier assets to try to seek safe-haven assets that are much less subjected to price depreciation and inflation.…

Inflation is all about the cost of goods and measuring the impact of price increases at any given point in time. To properly diversify as an investor, one must understand inflation and how it impacts the economy.

The purchasing power of $5 20 years ago in 2000 now is the same as someone who has nearly $8 in their pocket to spend today. Over time, it costs more to buy the same goods. People need to be aware that their incomes need to either outpace inflation or at least keep the pace. If your income stays the same, you are not going to be able to afford the same goods later on that you are affording right now.

Inflation erodes value, and that statement is not just about currencies and the cost of goods. It has everything to do with the investments in your portfolio.

Inflation is real, and it is a problem. If your investment portfolio fails to outpace inflation, you might lose money overall. Many investors play it safe and choose guaranteed returns that outpace inflation, helping them to continue on their road to building wealth without the risk.

How do you hedge against inflation?

Individual investors must understand that hedging against inflation is not just about choosing investments. It is also about the state of the economy and the timeframe a person has to invest toward retirement. Commodities have long been considered to be a great choice for hedging against inflation, but are they? Some research supports the idea that gold is the best hedge against inflation.

Most economists, however, argue that traditional stocks are your best bet for the long haul. Are you starting to see why diversification is so important? While coinjoin corporate earnings often outpace inflation in general, you never know what the state of the economy is going to be at any given time. The stock market has, however, historically outpaced inflation collectively and has risen on average 10 percent each year.

Is Gold The Missing Link?

Gold has always been touted as an investment to help people hedge against inflation. Gold has for centuries both held and increased its value over the long term. The same cannot be said about world currencies. Investors have long compared the spot price of gold to what you would pay for a new suit. In today’s world, that new suit would cost you around $1800. Back during the height of The Great Depression, that suit would have cost you $35.

Gold appreciates nicely against inflation, but that doesn’t mean it is the perfect hedge for your portfolio. Gold prices fluctuate based on other factors as well. One common myth, however, is that gold mining companies as well as supply and demand have a lot to do with the price of gold. These factors rarely have an impact on gold prices, as gold is in abundance and mostly seen as a store of value, a longstanding one.

What about Bitcoin?

In theory, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies appear to be a great hedge against inflation. Many investors are rushing to make crypto a part of their portfolios. While that is great, there is an inherent risk with crypto considering the newness of the market Spotify promotion. Crypto is in its infancy. While holding some Bitcoin to hedge against inflation sounds like a plan, the strategy is not tried and true.

Investors have to remember that Bitcoin has only been around for a little over a decade. Additionally, inflation has not been full speed ahead in the last decade. It is difficult to say how Bitcoin would perform against inflation. It has its highs so far, and they are big highs, but its lows are big. It should be mentioned, however, that Bitcoin never dips below its previous low, so far. Crypto appears to have a promising future hedging against inflation.

When certain inflation rumors circulated earlier this year, stocks took a small tumble, but the crypto market fell apart. By the time all was said and done, BTC had lost 41 percent of its value.

What About Real Estate Vs Inflation?

Real estate has long been used as a haven for investors looking to hedge against inflation. Inflation drives the cost of goods and services, so that leads people to draw conclusions that such a movement involves real estate, too. History is on their side because property values tend to be on the rise when inflation is hyperactive. This means more rental income for investors, too.

Have you heard of the term depreciating debt (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/depreciation.asp)? Fixed mortgage amortization schedules are long-term and can find investors enjoying depreciating debt during periods of sustained hyperinflation. That makes real estate look like a really good investment over the long term if you are trying to hedge against inflation.

Natural Resources Vs Inflation

Commodities and natural resources are certainly sensitive to inflation, but do they perform the best when trying to hedge against inflation? Commodities are great for any portfolio, but they are not guaranteed protection against inflation. There are too many factors involved. This is why many investors are now looking at equity-based commodities.

What about TIPS?

TIPS is fairly new, and the data compiled would be skewed since these financial instruments have only been flexing their muscles since around the time of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Analysts need more long-term data to help https://orderklonopin2mg.com/diazepam/ them gauge how TIPS securities perform against inflation.

TIPS securities are indeed indexed to inflation, but many factors can fluctuate their performance with what is going on with the economy. Still, TIPS is a strategical asset designed to tackle inflation for investors. The fixed-rate return is also on point. According to some analysts, TIPS and natural resources are an investor’s best bet when trying to hedge against inflation.

Other financial gurus, however, would argue that the market and gold are the way to go. Investors heavy into real estate would tout physical property. Your best bet is to have a portfolio full of various types of equities, including commodities equities, TIPS, traditional companies, etc. Hold real estate and gold as well. It is a 1,2,3 approach: Stocks, Real Estate, and gold. Do not forget to follow trends like crypto, too, that can outpace the economy in general, much less inflation. Diversification is your best hedge against inflation.…

When it comes to precious metal investments, the first thing most investors think of is gold. In fact, many experts regard gold as a “safe haven” in uncertain times and are particularly sought after when fear of inflation increases. But you can’t just invest in gold as a precious metal. Meanwhile, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium are also popular precious metals, which are often in the slipstream of gold. We show how you can invest in precious metals, which precious metals are suitable and on which factors the performance depends.

However, there are now alternatives to traditional physical investments. With securities, investors can include various precious metals in their portfolios.

ETCs (Exchange Traded Commodities) related to precious metals

These are exchange-traded certificates, the performance of which is linked to certain raw material prices. As a rule, they emulate the spot price. Precious metal ETCs are an alternative to the physical acquisition of precious metals, but they also involve risks. As with all certificates, losses up to total loss can also be achieved with ETCs.

Precious metal stocks

Investors can now also find shares in companies that are involved in precious metal mining or trading in precious metals. However, the corresponding stocks do not have to develop in the same way as the precious metal and their prices can fluctuate more. This creates a serious risk for investors.

Investment funds with precious metal stocks and precious metal ETFs in their portfolio

Investors can now also find numerous active and passive funds related to precious metals. Funds follow the principle of risk diversification and invest in a large number of precious metal-oriented stocks or track corresponding indices. Active funds, on the other hand, try to outperform their benchmark, while passive ETFs limit themselves to replicating them as precisely as possible. However, precious metal ETFs that track pure precious metal prices are not permitted in the EU. Even with active and passive funds related to precious metals, investors must expect losses due to the volatility.

CFDs and other derivatives with precious metals as an underlying

Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are highly speculative instruments that react sensitively to small price changes and are used by experts in trading. There are also several other derivatives for precious metal speculators such as warrants, certificates with a leverage effect or other speculative constructs. However, such instruments are not suitable for long-term investments and are highly risky.

What should you watch out for in precious metal investments?

Unlike interest-bearing investments or stocks, pure precious metal investments do not offer any ongoing income. The return lives solely from the price developments. Precious metals can offer a possible stable value and the possible “real” value retention, especially in the long term, but there is no guarantee for this.

Precious metal investments are above all a “risky and speculative investment”. Speculating on certain price developments is a real risk – not only because prices fluctuate sharply, but also because they are associated with a high degree of forecast uncertainty. Even proven experts are often wrong when making predictions about the performance of precious metals.

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Gold is generally exempt from VAT, provided that it is investment gold in accordance with the directive. The purchase of historical coins or old gold, for example, is then subject to VAT.

When buying silver and other precious metals, 19 per cent VAT applies. However, there is one special feature here: With silver coins and silver coin bars, differential taxation applies, which significantly reduces the tax surcharge for the buyer. The full VAT rate usually applies to platinum, palladium and rhodium.

To avoid VAT, precious metals can be kept in bonded warehouses. However, this incurs costs and the safekeeping takes place abroad, which can limit the access options in case of doubt.

Profits from the sale of bars and coins made of gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium are all treated equally: They are tax-free, provided that the holding period was at least one year. This rule applies to both scrap gold and investment gold. Otherwise, they are taxable in income tax at the personal tax rate. There is an exemption limit of $600 per year.

Investing in Precious Metals – Gold

Gold is the most stable store of value in the world and, in contrast to paper money, has reliably maintained its purchasing power in times of crisis. The global expansion of the money supply has taken on a new dimension as a result of the rescue programs set up by central banks and governments and is driving the price of the yellow precious metal up further.

The Fed’s total assets increased by almost 50 per cent in April 2020 alone. Central banks can increase the amount of paper money indefinitely, but not global gold production. That makes gold unbeatable as a store of value. Since an end to the expansionary monetary policy is not in sight, gold prices should continue to rise in the long term.

After the financial crisis, gold threatened to slip into insignificance, and critics had already pronounced the yellow precious metal dead. But that has now changed. In 2020 the price of gold reached a new all-time high. And the gold rally may not be over yet. Even if the gold price fluctuates, gold should mainly serve as a hedge and not as an object of return.

We recommend investing around 10 to 15 per cent of your assets in gold and other precious metals such as silver or platinum to achieve a good diversification effect.

Five good reasons to invest in gold

• Worldwide over-indebtedness and uncontrolled increase in money
• Increasing loss of confidence in the paper money system
• In contrast to paper money, gold cannot be increased at will
• In the past, precious metals have always retained their purchasing power and are both a store of value and a means of payment
• Gold often moves in the opposite direction to other asset classes

Invest in precious metals – silver

Silver is also valued as a store of value and, because of its smaller denominations, is especially popular with private investors. However, since industrial demand accounts for more than half of the total demand for silver, the price of silver can fluctuate more with economic development than gold. Here the demand for industrial purposes is just 10-15 per cent.

In the long term, the silver price will develop in line with the gold price. However, investors have to be prepared for higher fluctuations and, above all, a higher correlation with the stock markets.

Five good reasons to invest in silver

• Increasing loss of confidence in the paper money system
• Alternative investment for asset diversification
• Lower price and more manageable denominations than gold
• In contrast to paper money, silver cannot be increased at will
• Additional price opportunities (and risks) due to higher economic demand

Investing in Precious Metals – Platinum

A largely unknown way of investing in precious metals is to invest in platinum. In terms of its rarity, platinum is even more valuable than gold. It is considered the most precious metal in the jewellery industry.

However, its course is subject to significantly higher fluctuations and additional influencing factors. In contrast to gold, platinum is also a much-needed industrial raw material. Only 35 per cent of the demand comes from the jewellery industry. The metal is used, for example, in catalysts and microchips. The diesel scandal, for example, kept the price of platinum iron down, even though gold was soaring.

The interesting fact that the platinum price was generally above the gold price in the past speaks in favour of a long-term investment. However, for 6 years – and that is the longest period since 1900 – this relation has been reversed. Historically, this price anomaly could eventually resolve itself and bring investors decent price gains.

Five good reasons to invest in platinum

• Platinum is even rarer than gold
• A useful addition to the precious metal portfolio
• A decline in production causes supply bottlenecks
• Potential returns through high economic demand
• Industry 4.0 creates additional demand

Investing in precious metals – conclusion

There are a few points to keep in mind when investing in precious metals. From the right selection of the metal, through taxation, identification obligations, to the decision on processing.

As an investor, you should generally ask yourself how willing you are to take risks and what storage options you have. Subsequently, the choice of the precious metal is a question of diversification. As a guideline, 10 to 15 per cent of the assets are suitable.

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Despite silver lower relative value compared to gold, it is an element that has greater versatility, since it works both as a precious metal and as a raw material for a large number of industries, which allows it to maintain its value. both in times of market crisis (as a precious metal, which is a safe haven), and in times of prosperity (it is a key industrial metal for sectors such as electricity, electronics and photovoltaics). In this post, we are going to analyze the keys that make this metal one of the most interesting investment options for 2021.

 

The metal started 2020 slightly above the modest price it had held for the past three years: on January 2 it was trading at $ 17.925 an ounce on the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA); on December 31 it closed the session at 26,485 dollars an ounce, after having reached an annual maximum of 28,885 dollars an ounce.

 

This represents an annual revaluation of 47.75%, which is practically double that of gold, which was around 24% in 2020.

 

In the first months of 2021, the path of silver, far from retreating, has continued in an upward trend. On February 1, in the heat of the action by retail investors coordinated on Reddit, the price of the metal soared to $ 29,885 an ounce, a level that had not been reached since eight years earlier, on February 19, 2013, when reached $ 30.

 

Even so, these levels are far from the historical maximum that silver registered, in the week of January 14, 1980, with no less than 44.91 dollars an ounce.

 

The status of this ratio is used by investors and analysts to determine the possible overvaluation or undervaluation of silver relative to gold. Thus, the historical minimum ratio was registered in 1980, with 15: 1, that is, 15 ounces of silver were equivalent to one of gold. Evidently, at that time silver was at its all-time highest price, so it took fewer of them to equal the value of a gold one.

 

On the other hand, during the month of March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic in Western countries, the fall in the price of precious metals caused the ratio to grow to its historical maximum so far, 125: 1.

 

Experts point out that the normal level of this ratio between gold and silver should be between 40 and 80: 1 . Above 80, silver would be undervalued relative to gold. And below 40, it would be overvalued.

 

At the time of this writing, the ratio had stabilized around 66: 1, close to the perfect median level, offering a prospect that silver is recovering the klonopin value it has historically had relative to gold.

 

Increasing demand

 

The good prospects for silver in the year 2021 also contribute to the state of its demand. According to a recent report by The Silver Institute, it is estimated that the demand for silver will grow to 1,025 million ounces (31,886 MT) in 2021, which would be its highest figure in the last eight years.

 

Investors’ increased demand for physical silver will contribute to this figure, which is estimated at 257 million ounces (7,993 MT), the highest in the last six years.

 

Bullion and bullion sales figures from the world’s leading mints support this growing investor interest in a more affordable safe-haven asset with enormous potential to appreciate like silver.

 …

70% of the supply of Silver comes as a “by-product” of base metals, such as Lead, Zinc, Copper and to a lesser extent Gold. With the current race to find, develop and commercialize new Copper projects many are assuming that since it will operate a new copper supply over the coming years, it also means that there will be a lot of silver available …

 

For example, Copper production flows during the rest of the decade will be limited by fundamental considerations difficult to resolve … First, most projects have been mined for decades … Some for more than a century … Grades and reserves have decreased, while production costs have increased.

 

Another, substantially more problematic set of factors has the potential to pronounce “life and death” verdicts in many of today’s few exploration-to-production stories.

 

Just because a mine is producing does not mean that it will be “free at home” for the entire life of the mine.

 

Peru and Chile (responsible for 42% of world production) have recently called for a 75% tax on the production and the rewriting of water use agreements. Do not assume that because a mine is currently producing “x tons of Copper”, this source of supply is “free of charge” …

 

You start to hear a new phrase/concept. It’s called “electron liability” …

 

Essentially, these corporations are saying that they can no longer ignore where the Electricity that is being obtained from the grid is coming from …

 

For example, does it come from clean hydroelectric or nuclear power or dirty coal that emits Carbon? They can no longer hide behind the excuse of saying they didn’t know how the power was being generated. This should boost the fortunes of nuclear power by the end of the decade, but it raises another question mark for Copper …

 

Given these headwinds faced by the few copper deposits that are in operation, it is no exaggeration to assume that more New silver could come from the relatively few new primary silver mines.

 

Another is Navidad, a 700 million ounce silver resource located in the province of Chibut, Argentina, which has been impeded by the governor’s unwillingness to allow the use of cyanide. Each could contribute 25 million Ounces of Silver supply annually. But it seems that Pascua Lama will most likely never go into production. Even if Christmas were allowed tomorrow, it could take 5 years for it to start working.

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So if you have the feeling that until at least 2030, the new Silver won’t make a big difference. .. you are probably close to making a decision if you are interested in the precious metal.

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