Potential of Gold as an Investment Option

Well, there have been many who recently concluded that the `bull run` of gold is drawing to an end. They obviously drew their conclusion from the correction mode that the price of gold has moved in to, after setting a record high at $1226 per ounce. There have also been some who were of the opinion that gold was in a bubble which has now popped and hence the price of gold should decline further.

However, we do not think so...

Yes, we beg to differ, with a fundamental question: How can an asset that is so under owned be a bubble?
Most investment portfolios still don`t own any gold. And those who do own gold don’t seem to have it in adequate proportions.

Chart 1: Gold remains an under owned asset

Source: Barrick Gold Corporation

The scarcity value of gold is explained in the table above, showing gold ETFs and gold equities amounting to $0.4 trillion, which is miniscule in comparison to the total managed assets or to the global financial assets.
When compared, gold ETFs and equities amount to 0.7% of total managed assets and 0.3% of total global financial assets.

The year gone by did witness some record flows, but gold still constitutes a minority investment. The value of all the gold that has ever been mined approximately amounts to $6 trillion which is also very small when compared to $123 trillion of financial assets.

We do not think that gold is any close to being a bubble. Rather, the small size of investment in gold demonstrates the potential for a shift of money into gold. If gold were to become a more mainstream asset, if a small percent of the cash held in money market funds and savings were re-directed towards gold, then the impact on the price of gold would be profound.

A correction of 10-15% isn’t popping of a bubble. Long term bull runs often do have corrective and consolidation phases which are healthy signs of the bull run being intact. Also, this correction in gold price has not come as a surprise. We had written (in our monthly outlook) about these speculative forces that are capable of bringing in a correction in the price of gold. We think this is a healthy sign and beneficial for investors to add more gold to their kitty.

Policymakers still reserve monopoly over their printing presses and keep running them at full capacity to dole out money at any and all problems faced by them. Ever increasing money supply will always make gold the preferred choice for citizens as a store of value.

We recommend a 15-20% allocation of one’s portfolio in gold. If you under own gold, then treat these declines as an opportunity to increase your holdings of gold. Or a more sensible way is to keep allocating to gold over the next 36 months and reach the optimum level.

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Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the Fund Manager of Quantum Gold Fund. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. This information is meant for general reading purpose only and is not meant to serve as a professional guide/investment advice for the readers. This article has been prepared on the basis of publicly available information, internally developed data and other sources believed to be reliable. Readers are advised to seek independent professional advice and arrive at an informed investment decision before making any investments.

Investment Objective: Quantum Gold Fund`s (QGF) investment objective is to generate returns that are in line with the performance of gold, subject to tracking errors. Asset Allocation: QGF will primarily invest in physical gold and if allowed under SEBI Regulations, also in gold related securities, but may invest in money market instruments to meet liquidity needs. Terms of Issue: QGF is an open-ended Exchange Traded Fund. Each unit of QGF will be approximately equal to the price of half (1/2) gram of Gold. Units will be issued at NAV based prices. On an ongoing basis direct purchases from the Fund would be restricted to only Authorised Participants and Eligible Investors. Units of QGF can be bought /sold like any other stock on the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) or on any other stock exchanges where it is listed. Entry Load: Nil Exit Load: In case of QGF: Nil in case of Authorised Participants; 0.5% in case of Eligible Investors. Risk Factors: All Mutual Funds and securities investments are subject to market risks including uncertainty of dividend distributions and the NAV of the schemes may go up or down depending upon the factors and forces affecting the gold and securities markets and there is no assurance or guarantee that the objectives of the scheme will be achieved. Quantum Gold Fund, is the name of the scheme and does not in any manner indicate either the quality of the Scheme, its future prospects or returns. Scheme Specific Risk: QGF is the first gold scheme being launched by the AMC. The AMC has no previous experience in managing gold scheme. The QGF’s NAV will react to the Gold price movements. The Investor may lose money over short or long period due to fluctuation in Scheme’s NAV in response to factors such as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in bullion prices, market movement and over longer periods during market downturns. Trading volumes, settlement periods and transfer procedures may restrict the liquidity of these investments of the QGF. It is to be distinctly understood that the permission given by NSE should not in any way be deemed or construed that the Scheme Information Document for QGF has cleared or approved by NSE nor does it certify the correctness or completeness of any of the contents of the said Scheme Information Document. The investors are advised to refer to the Scheme Information Document of QGF for full text of the ‘Disclaimer Clause of NSE’. Statutory Details: Quantum Mutual Fund (Fund) has been constituted as a Trust under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882.Sponsors: Quantum Advisors Private Limited. (Liability of Sponsor limited to Rs. 1,00,000/-)Trustee: Quantum Trustee Company Private Limited. Investment Manager: Quantum Asset Management Company Private Limited (AMC). The Sponsor, Trustee and the Investment Manager are incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956..The past performance of the Sponsor / AMC/ Fund has no bearing on the expected performance of the scheme. Mutual Funds investments are subject to marker risks. Please read the Scheme Information Document / Key Information Memorandum / Statement of Additional Information / Addenda carefully before investing. Scheme Information Documents /Key Information Memorandums/ Statement of Additional Information can be obtained at any of our Investor Service Centers or at the office of the AMC 505, Regent Chambers, 5th Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400 021 or on AMC website www.QuantumAMC.Com