Gold Tops $1700/oz and Silver Bests $33/oz
Following today's announcement from the Federal Reserve, gold and silver made new highs for the year. Gold topped $1700/oz, rising more than 9% so far this year alone, a 136% annualized pace of returns:
Silver is up a whopping 20% for year so far and is increasing at 289% annualized pace:
The Federal Reserve today indicated that they will artificially maintain interest rates at about 0% until at least 2014. The reality is they will not be able to raise rates for even further than that due to internal balance sheet constraints. With a nominal return of 0% on savings, the accumulation of inflation will mean real returns are deeply negative for fixed income investors. Rare commodities are the only means of preserving wealth in such an environment, and their fundamental strength will remain for the forseeable future.
Glossary of Terms
- Bullion
- Metal valued by its mass.
- Bullion Coin
- A coin valued by its precious metal content (typically with a purity of at least 90%) and used primarily for investment purposes.
- Commodity
- A product that exhibits some level of uniformity across suppliers.
- Diversification
- In finance or investing is a method of reducing risk by investing in diverse assets.
- Face Value
- The value inscribed on a coin (usually lower than its market value).
- Hedging
- In finance or investing is a method of reducing risk by investing in assets that exhibit an inverse relationship or are inversely correlated.
- London Bullion Market Association
- The trade association representing the wholesale gold and silver market in London and credited with setting the standards for the quality of gold and silver bars.
- Numismatic Coin
- A coin valued by its rarity, history or other characteristic of collectability.
- Numismatics
- The study or collection of coins, currency and closely related objects.
- Privy Mark
- Also called a “mint mark” is an engraving on a coin that denotes its mint of origin.
- Proof Coinage
- Collector coins that are fed manually, struck several times for superior quality and inspected by hand. Proof coins are minted in limited quantities and admissible in retirement savings accounts.
- Spot Price
- The quoted price of a commodity at the time of trading, usually only valid for one or two business days.
- Troy Ounce
- A standard unit of measure totaling roughly 31 grams.
- Uncirculated
- A term for coins that have been released to the public via mints or coin dealers but not intended to be used as every day currency.
- World Gold Council
- A market development organization, providing data and insights to gold-related industries including: investment, jewelry, technology and government.