Invest In A Gold ETF
When you want to invest in gold there are two options; investing in real gold bullion or in a gold ETF. Most people have never heard of an ETF and what it does. This is why
we have written an article on what gold ETF's are, why to invest in it and how to invest in it. Below you will find all the answers to your questions.
What is a Gold ETF?
ETF stands literally for Exchange Traded Fund, meaning the fund is traded on the stock market. An ETF tracks a particular stock market index. When you invest in a ETF you are investing in this particular index, and nothing else. So when you invest in a gold ETF, you are investing in the index of a gold ETF of a particular stock exchange. You are either investing in a conglomerate of companies(Gold Stock Index) or in a ETF directly linked to the gold market price(Gold Price Index). So when investing in a Gold Stock Index ETF you are not just investing in one company, but in a conglomerate of companies. In the United States the main stock exchange for gold ETF's is the AMEX but - for instance, NASDAQ has gold ETF's as well.Gold Price ETF or Gold Stock ETF
When investing in a gold ETF you have the choice to invest in a gold stock ETF or a gold price ETF. The difference between the two is that a gold price ETF is directly linked to the gold price index and a gold stock ETF is linked to companies in the gold industry(like gold mining companies).How Does a Gold Price ETF Work?
In basics, this is how a gold ETF works; A gold ETF will buy large amounts of real gold(so in physical form) and storage it. After they've storaged this gold they divide the gold in shares, based on the market price of gold. These shares is what you buy when you invest in a gold ETF. So when you buy gold ETF shares you are basically buying real gold, hold and storaged by the ETF's. The shares are directly linked to the market price of gold. When the price of gold goes up 15%, your shares will go up 15%. This way you do not have to storage the physical gold by yourself but still get the same benefits of buying real gold. The advantage of investing in gold price ETF's is that it's more stabile(since it's linked to the gold market price) as investing in gold stock ETF's.How does a Gold Stock ETF Work?
When you invest in a gold stock ETF, you are investing in a mixture of companies inside that ETF who are in the gold industry. The majority of these companies are gold mining companies. The ETF shares you buy are linked to how well these companies do. The downside of investing in gold stock ETF's is that it's not as stabile as gold price ETF's, since it's not directly linked to the gold market price. The advantage of investing in gold stock ETF's is that you can have a higher return of investment as the gold price ETF's when the companies are doing well.Benefits of Investing in Gold ETF's
The biggest and foremost advantage of investing in a ETF is not having to buy and storage real gold by yourself, eliminating all the disadvantages of storing gold at home like theft, buying and installing a safe, etc. For more advantages and reasons why to invest in a gold ETF, go to our Why Invest In Gold ETF page.Why Invest in a Gold ETF?
Unlike buying real gold bullion, investing in a gold ETF is suitable for almost anyone all over the world. The reason why is that it's just like investing in a stock on the stock market; you can do it from home, comfortably in your chair. Another reason why using a gold ETF is such an advantage over buying real gold is that you can use an account with an online broker to buy and sell your gold ETF stocks at any time the stock market is open. You can buy and sell your gold ETF shares within minutes. This is a lot easier as buying, storaging and selling real gold for obvious reasons.Safety Of Investing In A ETF
The biggest advantage of investing in gold ETF's over gold bullion is the safety issue that comes with buying and storaging real gold. When buying a serious amount of gold bullion, you need to be pretty sure that the chance of theft in the home/area that you live in is minimal. Even when you store your gold in a bank safe deposit you aren't 100% sure it's safe from theft. Besides the obvious reason of theft another downside of storaging gold bullion at home is that you need to buy a robust, heavy safe to keep the gold in(to protect it from theft). These safes don't come cheap and are not that easy to install without the help of a professional.How To Invest in a Gold ETF?
Investing in a gold ETF is easier as you might think. All you have to do is set up an account with an online broker, find the right ETF and start investing. But of course there are a few things you need to know before jumping into
the deep just like that.