Gold

Despite what those late-night infomercials may pitch, as a precious metal, gold really carries no greater intrinsic value than other investment options. In fact, the World Gold Council reports there were over 400 million pounds of gold in various forms of circulation as of 2015, mostly in jewelry, investments, and industry. If gold does not hold any integral value on its own, how can we explain not only the human drive to own it but also the predilection for gold investment-related fraud? Considerations for investing in gold Investing in gold certainly has its attractions. Beyond the social prestige of simply owning more of the shiny stuff, its value has been trending up 10% since a year ago. However, there are sobering reasons to believe that such an increase will inevitably be followed by a fall, based on current investment market conditions. Unlike other equities or stocks based in real world commodities, gold does not have a built-in earning per share. Gold [...]