Various ways and types of investment in gold. Investments in gold. What are their pros and cons? What is investment gold

Everyone is familiar with the phenomenon of the “gold rush”, which began in the 19th century. But if then it was expressed in a mass obsession with gold mining, then in modern world it has acquired a more modernized look. In modern reality, people in the current economy are inclined not only to hoarding, but also to making profit. But everyone wants to get significant benefits without making any effort. And the main thing is that the profit must be 100 percent, and the method for extracting it must be safe. Today this has become possible. Due to the fact that gold has stood the test of time, it is not surprising that it is really the most profitable investment. And the popularity of investing in gold is quite logical and historically determined.

Gold cannot lose its value. This is explained by the fact that it acts as collateral for all world currencies.

But the main advantage of this asset is that it can also generate income.

When there are free funds, a person involuntarily thinks about where to invest them. There are various options: these are bank deposits, bonds, and, of course, investments.

The most affordable option, which does not require special knowledge, is investing in gold (including white gold). But the question remains open for citizens: how safe is this investment?

Most experts are unanimous in their opinion regarding the correctness of choosing gold as an investment. This is due to the following factors.

1. Investments in gold in Russia are offered by banks with an excellent reputation, fairly reputable and stable companies. Issuing everyone necessary documents happens without fail. This means that all operations are carried out in accordance with the law.
2. Gold as an investment is attractive because this precious metal, as a rule, only increases in price. You can verify this by studying the statistics for past years. And even entering any salon jewelry You can notice a trend towards an increase in the price per gram of this precious metal. And this explains the rise in price of gold jewelry, the purchase of which can also act as an investment.
3. Gold has such an important quality as durability. It does not require any maintenance (which cannot be said, for example, about silver). It cannot rust, unexpectedly deteriorate, break, melt or simply evaporate. It can only grow (in price). We can say that this metal is eternal. If you purchased 10 grams of gold, then in a century you will also have 10 grams of gold.
4. Gold is not only a noble metal, but also very compact. Its storage does not require much space. It can even be located at home in a safe built into a wall or closet. But to ensure safety, storage in a bank is more preferable. It is the one chosen by most investors (especially since rent is not expensive).
5. This precious metal is not dangerous from fires, storms, road accidents, that is, any cataclysms and catastrophes. To prevent this from happening, the gold will still remain. It may be in a modified form, but it will exist. For example, with investment securities the situation will be completely different.
6. Investment gold is also safe from a political point of view. One currency may be dominant at the moment, but another in the future. It may happen that there will be no state with a currency at all. But gold will remain precious in any case. The gold rate is constant and stable.
7. If a person thinks that buying and storing gold is a costly business that takes time and nerves, then you can think about investing in “metal accounts.” This is a way in which you can make extra money by changing the price of gold. The point of such investment is that money is deposited, and grams of metal are recorded in the account. The security of such an account is that you do not need to think about ensuring the safety of gold. It is not stored in cells, because everything is done virtually.
8. Experts say that the more severe the crisis, the more expensive this precious metal becomes.

And the main thing is that the states themselves determine their financial stability in gold in the form of gold and foreign exchange reserves. Citizens can also create their own reserves of precious metal.

You can find many gold price forecasts on Internet resources. This is not surprising, because gold has always been highly valued and continues to be of great interest to this day. The rate of this precious metal was constantly increasing from 2001 to 2012. But in 2013, the gold rate dropped significantly, it fell by about 28%. This is the largest decline since 1981. This situation led to an increase in demand for physical metal. Those individuals who invest in it for a long time see the reduction in price as a chance to accumulate assets. But the Austrian Mint (according to Blumberg Luxury) is working 24 hours a day, trying to meet the increasing demand for gold coins.

Low price the price of this metal does not clearly indicate that gold prices will quickly go up in the near future. Further more: Saxo Bank predicts the possibility of the metal price reaching an even lower level. But despite this, prices promise to strengthen somewhat. At the moment, experts do not have a consensus on what will happen to the price of this precious metal. Some have expressed great uncertainty about the direction of gold prices.

What are the options for investing in gold?

• Purchasing gold bars. When purchasing a gold bar, you need to pay VAT, the amount of which is 18%. It is assumed that this type of investment is intended for a long-term strategy. Gold bars are kept either in a safe at home or in a bank safe. For most, the second option is more acceptable. Due to the fact that there are difficulties in transportation, checking the gold standard and storage itself, the use of a bank account through assigned storage facilities is becoming increasingly popular and in demand.

Until 1997, private individuals were prohibited from owning gold bars in our country. After this taboo was lifted, it became possible to have two types of bullion:

• Gold bars are in excellent condition (they have a smooth and clean surface with no burrs, scratches, or abrasions). They should not have any inclusions of a different composition. Certificates for such bars must be in perfect condition.
• Gold bars are in satisfactory condition (they may have dirt, abrasions, dents, scratches that do not affect the weight of the bar itself). Such ingots may contain inclusions of a different composition, and their certificates may have stains and tears (but the certificate must be readable).

· Anonymized metal account. This option is quite profitable. This is primarily due to the fact that there is no need to pay tax. The disadvantage of such an investment is that in the event of a bank bankruptcy, there will be no opportunity to return the money for gold. From a security point of view, it is worse than a bank deposit (in this case, in case of bankruptcy, the state will return the full amount or part of it). The advantage of this method is that you can purchase an almost unlimited amount of gold. The cost of such metal will be slightly lower than the price of real metal. This is due to the fact that its price does not include the costs of creating ingots and transporting them. But working with such gold is no more difficult than working with real gold.

IMPORTANT: if an investor still wants to invest money in real metal, then you need to remember that gold bars have different weights. The cost per gram of gold can also vary significantly. Often, as the weight of the gold bar itself increases, the price per gram of the metal becomes lower. This means that a more massive bar has less liquidity.

• Gold mining companies and their shares. To invest using this option, you must first select a suitable company. The disadvantage of this method is that the company is not insured against bankruptcy during a financial crisis.
• Investing in commemorative coins: This type of investment can provide excellent returns. The only problem is that its extraction can only be done by professionals. Any such coin has the potential to rise in value in the future. But it is difficult for a beginner to determine such an opportunity. When purchasing a commemorative coin, you must also pay a tax of 18%. Such coins are made only of high quality, which greatly affects their price. Investment coins have one difference. Their most important feature is that when buying such a coin from a bank, it is no longer possible to sell it to him. In this case, a numismatic auction is used.
• Buying jewelry. This method is questionable. A significant number of celebrities prefer it and buy jewelry of different prices. But you also need to take into account the fact that the price of jewelry also lies in the work of the master, and not just in gold. And the main thing is that it is used in alloy with some other metals. It is almost impossible to sell jewelry for the same price. It can only be sold at the current price per gram of precious metal and receive a small amount of money.

Experts say that regardless of whether you invest money in gold bars or an impersonal metal account, such an investment should be long-term. It is important that it lasts at least one year, and preferably for three to five years. Then the investor can hope to make an excellent profit.

Many people believe that the best investment is investment in gold- and this is, in principle, correct!

Many precious metals make excellent investments.

Gold is considered the most profitable precious metal for investment!

Silver is valued much lower, but brings the same profit.

There is only one drawback: silver must be purchased in large quantities.

All banks in the world must have a reserve of gold reserves and this condition knows no exceptions.

On our planet, gold reserves are limited and therefore its value is steadily growing.

We invest gold in:

• investments in gold bars;
• investing in gold coins;
• investing in iron accounts

Investments in gold bars

Not every bank offers the opportunity to profitably buy or sell gold coins, since for these operations you must have the appropriate license.

But this is not the main drawback of gold bars; when purchasing them you must pay VAT (you pay 18 percent VAT; when you sell the bar to the bank, it does not refund the tax amount), which means that you will have to wait about a year before the bars begin to yield profit.

Also, storing bullion at home is unsafe, but you will need to pay a regular fee for storing it in a bank safe.

Before purchasing a gold bar, negotiate the terms of its sale with the bank.

Investing in gold coins

Disadvantages of investing in gold coins:

Firstly, gold coins are quite difficult to sell to a bank; they are purchased as a gift or for collections.

Coins for collections are produced in limited quantities, so the price does not correspond to the weight.

The value of a coin depends on its exclusivity.

But, precisely for this reason, gold coins are very profitable for investment, because over time, not only its weight increases, but also its exclusivity and rarity.

Pros of investing in gold coins:

No VAT is paid on the purchase of gold coins.

To invest in coins, you need to understand the varieties because many of them are of great interest to collectors, which can help sell them for a very high price.

Be sure to watch a detailed and very interesting video about investing in gold bars!

Stay up to date with all the news!

Opening a deposit in bank metal

You take your gold reserves to the bank and deposit it in a deposit account, or you make a purchase of gold from the bank and leave it in your account.

Gold is a precious metal that has been valued for thousands of years. Since ancient times, it has been a measure of wealth and performed the function of money. Now, in fact, paper money has actually replaced gold only because it is more convenient to use, but in itself it is worthless if it is not backed up by a certain gold reserve of the country.

Many people believe that investment in gold– this is a very correct and deliberate step that will ensure you financial stability and independence. In part, this judgment is correct, because gold is not very susceptible to the economic impact of crises, and the demand for the precious metal will always be there, no matter what happens. We can say that gold is a single world currency that will be relevant always and everywhere. Today we will talk about investment in gold, we’ll try to figure out how profitable they are for at this stage economic development, and whether there are prospects for this kind of investment.

If we analyze the last few decades, we can see that investing in gold has not been very popular among the population of our country. On the one hand, this is due to the inability of ordinary people to buy precious metals, and on the other hand, due to the fact that there were profitable and promising niches that deserved more attention from investors.

The beginning of the 2000s was generally marked by the fact that many large world banks sold their gold reserves en masse. Then it seemed that the rate would collapse to a minimum, and gold would lose its status as a “guarantor”, its stability would be shaken, and people would need the metal only to admire the beautiful tints and shine. But the global economic crisis has put everything in its place. It was when the banking system began to burst at the seams that investments in gold made themselves known loudly. People who save their capital in precious metals were able to endure the difficult times of this financial world as easily as possible.

It was after these “dark” months that many people thought about investing their money in gold, thereby protecting themselves from possible fluctuations.

Banks also began to understand that such a vaunted monetary system was failing, and very badly. If she already fell into a deep coma once, then there is no guarantee that this will not happen again in the near future. The massive sale of gold stopped, and the reverse process began - banks actively bought the precious metal, increasing demand every day. And if demand grows, then prices rise, which was very beneficial for those who invested in gold before the global financial crisis.

A positive factor for gold investors is the destabilizing situation in politics and the economy. These could be unpredictable election results, crises in the highest echelons of power, untimely repayment of debts on loan obligations between countries, the inability to come to a single developed plan to eliminate the consequences of the crisis in Europe and the United States, controversial situations in the EU countries, inflationary processes and a number of other reasons. .

Investments in gold: dry numbers and facts will say a lot

We can talk for a long time about whether investing in gold is profitable. Maybe this kind of investment should be used only as a guarantee of stability, without the hope of making money, or maybe it’s worth analyzing the situation by buying gold at the boundary level and waiting for the peak price increase per gram? Here everyone chooses the best option for themselves.

Now I would like to cite just a few facts that will help you understand that investing in gold is quite profitable and promising.

Based on official data from 2007, the gold rate according to the Central Bank of Russia was at the level of 13,402 rubles per third ounce (31 grams). A year later, the price increased by 5,000 rubles and amounted to just over 18,000. In May 2012, a certain peak was recorded, when the price of a third ounce was estimated at 50,376 rubles. It’s not hard to calculate that in 5 years the exchange rate has increased almost 4 times.

At the time of writing this article, the gold rate is 47,884 rubles per third ounce. As we see, many of those who invested their capital in precious metal before the global crisis not only saved their money, but were also able to increase it by more than 3 times. How realistic is this now? Of course, it’s hard to talk about such incredible leaps, because the exchange rate is more or less stable, and the economic situation in the world does not foretell anything dangerous.

But the conclusion is obvious - investments in gold are justified and have certain prospects. No matter how, every year the economy of many leading countries falters, which also affects global stability. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and invest your free capital in the eternal currency – gold.

Investments in gold: how to make the right choice?

Only one question remains unanswered: what type of investment in gold should I choose? Let's look at the 4 main ways to purchase gold and evaluate each of them.

• Investing in gold bars

Buying gold in the form of bars is not the most optimal and profitable option for investing in the precious metal. In this case, the price of the bullion will include value added tax, which will not be reimbursed to you upon sale. This method of investing has been popular since the late 90s, when people finally lost faith in the banking system and were looking for any way to insure their savings. As a rule, bars from 20 to 100 grams were purchased, which were then stored in home safes. Over time, the excitement began to subside, and people took less and less gold bars from banks. Even now, if you decide to store gold at home, you should do it extremely carefully. One scratch on the bar, and the bank may no longer accept it, or may significantly reduce its value.

At the moment, only a few banks are engaged in the purchase and sale of gold in Russia on a large scale. First of all, this is Sberbank of Russia, which conducts more than 65% of all transactions regarding gold. There are also several other notable players in this market - Nomos Bank, VTB, Nikoil.

If you decide to invest in gold bars, then you will be able to avoid paying taxes only if you do not withdraw it from the bank and put it in a personal safe deposit box, the rent of which will also have to be paid. Plus, commissions when selling to a bank (which can reach up to 10%) will help completely “eat up” your profit. However, this method has prospects if the state follows the example of most of its foreign colleagues and abolishes VAT when purchasing bullion (this possibility is currently being discussed in the State Duma).

The conclusion is obvious - if you want to invest in gold by purchasing bullion at the moment, then it is better to wait and consider other options, which we will write about below.

Investing in gold coins

This is already a more well-known and profitable way to invest in gold. Many Russians currently choose this type of investment. Do not confuse regular gold coins with investment ones. First of all, investment ones differ in that they have good quality gold, interesting design, high complexity of coinage. These types of coins are very liquid and you can easily buy or sell them. It is worth noting that many banks, and even private financial institutions, are happy to buy gold coins.

By the way, there are not only gold coins, but also those based on high-quality silver. We discussed investments in silver in detail in the article “”

Investing in gold coins also has a number of disadvantages:

• A lot of banks sell gold coins, but not many accept them. Very often the bank works only for sales, and when the question arises about getting money for the coin, it is quite difficult to find a buyer. Although if you live in big city, then you can forget about this problem.

• There is a big difference between the selling and buying prices of a coin. Very often, banks include their commissions into the price, which can be simply incredible. Thus, coins become just a beautiful gift or attribute in your home, but not a promising investment.

In order to somehow minimize losses, customers are offered discounts when purchasing large quantities of coins, in the region of 2.5 - 4%. But here we are talking about a scale of 100 “golden chervonets”, or 500 silver “Sables”. To avoid paying 13% income tax, you must hold coins for more than 3 years.

If you just collect coins and do not plan to make money on price fluctuations, then you can contact Sberbank, because it has recently started selling exquisite gold coins from other countries.

Compulsory medical insurance – Unallocated metal accounts

This is another very smart and profitable way to invest in gold. It consists of depositing a gold bar into your account, or an amount of money that is equivalent to a certain amount of gold. Banks offer small interest rates on such deposits, usually 1.5-2% per annum.

For us, the question regarding the taxation of compulsory health insurance is not entirely clear. If anyone is interested in this issue, you can read in more detail on specialized websites or official pages of banks.

I would also like to add that in Europe and the USA, investing in gold through compulsory medical insurance is the most common. This is beneficial both for depositors, who still receive a certain percentage, and for banks. If you decide to open your account, be very careful about your choice financial institution. It is best to invest in large banks with huge capital, serious support and an influential name. Don't be fooled by promises of high interest rates. It’s better to receive little, but sleep peacefully, knowing that tomorrow your gold will be there.

Exchange trading

There are 2 ways to invest in gold through the exchange: you can buy shares of gold mining companies, for example, Polyus Gold, and invest in derivatives (futures and options) for gold on the RTS exchange. This method is not for novice investors, but for experienced financiers. But here are also the lowest costs. If you are not strong in analytics, general banking management funds (FBU) will be useful to you - they also engage in similar activities.

Trading on the stock exchange involves certain risks. Below is a graph where you can see a graph of the rise and fall in the price of gold over the past three years. The maximum rate was in mid-July 2011, and was $1,813 per ounce. Now, at the time of writing, the price per ounce was $1,332. I'm glad about the trend last month the price is growing smoothly but steadily.

When talking about gold, many people immediately think of jewelry and collectible coins. Let’s say right away that this is not an investment, because the price of these goods significantly exceeds the real price of the precious metal spent on their production. And if you buy jewelry for one price, you will sell it much cheaper.

Investments in gold: we draw a conclusion from all of the above

To summarize everything we wrote about, we can say that investing in gold is great way save your finances and protect them from various kinds of problems in the global economy.

If we consider gold as a possible investment, then it is worth understanding that this is a very long-term investment, which has the main advantage of stability and reliability. Don’t expect huge profits, because such price hikes as there were after the crisis are no longer expected in the near future. The exchange rate either falls or rises, and in order to predict such jumps and try to make money on the difference in rates, you need to carefully and thoroughly engage in analytics, study the market, and monitor trends in the world.

When investing in gold, it is important to choose the right moment: often the minimum prices occur in January-February and from mid-June to mid-August. Now there are companies that allow you to buy gold remotely in other countries (where transaction costs are lower).

Investments in gold have been relevant since ancient times. This precious metal is actively used for jewelry, in industry, etc. There is a demand for it even in the most difficult times. Gold reserves, on the contrary, are limited, and metal mining is constantly becoming more expensive.

How to invest in gold is usually considered by “conservative” investors who do not want to take unnecessary risks. But it also makes sense for other categories of investors to use the “yellow metal” in their portfolio. In any case, you need to figure out where it is better to buy gold for investment, what pitfalls and subtleties can await with this method of investing money and, in general, whether it is worth expecting profit from this metal.

Investing in gold has been popular for many centuries. This instrument is considered as a classic way to preserve and increase capital.

The main advantages of investing in gold

• Wide range of tools. It is not necessary to buy “real” gold; you can only purchase paper gold through compulsory medical insurance, brokers, etc. Another plus is that alternative instruments are also available (for example, shares of gold mining companies), which also depend significantly on metal prices.
• Large investments are not necessary. Compulsory medical insurance and some other instruments allow you to start making investments with 10,000 or 1,000 rubles available.
• Reliability. This is probably the main advantage of gold. It feels confident during an economic crisis, falling stock markets and other stressful situations.
• Reality of the asset. Unlike cryptocurrencies and many other instruments, precious metal is quite tangible. He has practical use in jewelry, various equipment, etc.
• An opportunity to start investing even for beginners. Many types of investments (for example, compulsory medical insurance, mutual funds) do not require special knowledge. This plus is relevant for investors who do not want to constantly spend time managing assets and obtaining the relevant knowledge for this.

There are also disadvantages to investing in gold

• Not at all suitable for speculative investments. A high spread will easily leave the investor without profit.
• Profit is usually only available in the long term. The main disadvantage stopping investors is the possibility of the asset price falling in the short and medium term.
• Opportunity to face the difficulty of making a profit on a number of instruments. Due to the high spread on compulsory medical insurance, you will have to wait a long time for the price to rise enough to generate income. The situation is similar with some other types of investments.

7 Best Ways to Invest in Gold in 2020

Funds are actively invested in gold to diversify the portfolio by both large organizations and individuals. Special problems There is no way to invest in this precious metal. There are many tools for this.

Before investing your finances in gold, it is worth comparing the best available methods. Each of them has its own characteristics.

Buying gold through a Forex broker

Forex market– This is primarily currency trading. But transactions with gold are also available on it. You can also invest not directly in the metal, but by investing in futures, ETFs, and shares of foreign gold mining companies.

Features of investing in gold through Forex brokers

• It’s quite easy to open an account;
• high potential return on investment;
• with interface trading platform it won’t be difficult to figure it out;
• high risks associated with volatility;
• the minimum amount for investment is not actually established;
• you can use leverage for transactions to increase profits;
• To make a profit you need to learn.

Unfortunately, among Forex brokers you can find a huge number of scammers. You must approach the choice of company responsibly. Many of the Forex brokers are registered offshore and actually operate without control and supervision from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. If a client transfers money to a fraudulent company operating under the guise of a Forex broker, then it will be very difficult or impossible to return it.

Investing in gold through a Russian broker

Russian brokers such as Tinkoff Investments or Sberbank allow you to purchase gold in the same way as currency. It will be taken into account in the broker's account. It can be fully managed through online tools, for example, the Sberbank Investor application.

You can make money by purchasing precious metal directly only if the investment period is long enough. As an alternative, Russian brokers can offer the following instruments:

• Gold ETF– funds that are traded on an exchange. The instrument is similar to mutual funds, but differs in lower costs for management fees.
• Gold futures– derivative financial instruments with a specified period (3 months or six months). They are traded on the derivatives market. The investor receives income from the difference between the purchase and sale prices.
• Investment in shares of Russian gold mining companies. The price of gold does not 100% affect the value of producer shares. Business in any situation is aimed at making a profit. Income can be obtained both through changes in the value of shares and through dividends.

Most Russian brokers offer convenient online tools for asset management.

Open a free account with Tinkoff Investments

Mutual funds

Mutual investment funds (UIF)– these are companies that specialize in managing client money. They operate on the basis of a license. Investors purchase shares, and investment of money in various instruments is carried out by fund specialists. The larger the share an investor purchases, the more profit he can receive.

Not all mutual funds are focused on gold mining. Most Russian companies do not buy metal directly, but invest in ETFs.

For beginners, investing in mutual funds may seem very attractive. After all, you don’t need to have any special knowledge or work directly with the platforms. But it is necessary to take into account that the profitability potential of mutual funds is low due to commissions. They are charged even if the yield is negative.

Commissions may be provided for the following actions:

• for the purchase of shares;
• for management;
• for repayment.

Quite often a situation may arise when the client suffers losses and still has to pay for it.

Unallocated metal accounts (OMA) in banks

Unallocated metal accounts (OMS)– a convenient option for making money on gold for beginners and experienced investors. In fact, it is a regular one, but instead of money it takes into account gold. No data about the sample, manufacturer, or ingot numbers is shown or taken into account.

The cost of gold included in the compulsory medical insurance completely depends on quotations on the world market. The instructions and guidance for investing in precious metals through compulsory medical insurance are as simple as possible - buy at a low price, wait for the rate to rise and sell at a higher price.

Features of compulsory medical insurance that must be taken into account

• There is no VAT on transactions with precious metal on compulsory medical insurance. You will also not have to pay personal income tax on your income if you place funds on compulsory health insurance for a period of 3 years or more.
• Unallocated metal accounts are not insured by DIA. Store gold on compulsory health insurance commercial banks Russia with small capital. It is better to place such accounts with large credit institutions with state participation - Sberbank, VTB, Promsvyazbank.
• Some banks provide for the accrual of interest under compulsory medical insurance. Unfortunately, large credit institutions usually cannot offer income on placed gold.
• In theory, the client has the right to transfer investments into gold bullion by simply withdrawing it from the account. But a commission is charged for such an operation.
• The cost of buying and selling gold is determined by the bank independently. It differs from the prices established by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation by several percent (sometimes significantly).

Buying physical gold in the form of jewelry

Sometimes, wanting to make money by investing in gold, people start buying jewelry. Often this approach does not live up to expectations. The selling price of the jewelry includes the following components:

• master's work;
• the cost of the precious metal itself;
• costs and profits of the store, manufacturer.

Pawn shops and other organizations buy jewelry at the price of scrap. This will almost always result in losses for the investor instead of profits.

Exceptions can only be made for products of special artistic, historical, etc. value. But this investment option is aimed more at collectors and art connoisseurs than at the average investor.

Investments in gold bars

Buying gold bars– one of the most reliable types of investment. In fact, each ingot is simply a cast piece of metal of 999 purity, i.e., practically without impurities (0.1%).

The client purchases a gold bar of a certain weight with his own money and can sell it at any time. You can usually buy gold bars at major bank branches. The minimum weight of an ingot that can be found on sale is 1 gram.

The following points must be taken into account

• The safety of bullion storage is the concern of the owner. When placing them in specialized storage facilities, you will have to pay for the service, and when storing them at home or in another place, you will have to take care of security and/or insurance on your own.
• The storage of bullion must be correct. Their unsatisfactory condition leads to a sharp decrease in price or forces the owner to sell the ingot at the price of scrap.
• The loss of documents on ingots is equal to damage to the metal itself. If they are lost, they may require a revaluation or even refuse to purchase the bullion.
• The cost of buying and selling bullion differs. It, like exchange rates, is set by a specific bank. Although a credit institution usually focuses on the estimated price of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the final offer will differ from it and sometimes significantly. When choosing where to buy gold bars, you must evaluate the prices of several banks.
• VAT is still charged on transactions with bullion in the Russian Federation. The state is considering the possibility of abolishing this tax, but ordinary investors have not yet been affected by the corresponding changes.

Another option to buy gold for investment is buy gold coins. They are produced in limited editions by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and sold in banks. In this case, VAT is not applied. There are 2 types of gold: collection and investment.

Collectible coins are distinguished by complex minting. Their value is determined mainly by rarity and demand among numismatists, and the price of the metal itself affects it quite little. For ordinary investors without specialization in the field of numismatics, such coins are practically uninteresting.

Bullion coins differ more simple view. Their value is almost entirely tied to the value of the metal they contain.

How much you can earn by investing in gold using bullion coins largely depends on the price fluctuations of this precious metal. But great importance also has a spread (the difference between the sale and purchase price) for a given type of coin of a particular bank or company trading coins. It can range from 3-4% to 30-40% or more.

Return on investment: how much can you earn?

Every potential investor is naturally interested in the question of whether investing in gold will be profitable or not. Precious metal is not an essential item. Theoretically, a person can completely do without it. But for several centuries now, it has usually been profitable to buy gold for several years.

Modern states often only print banknotes that are not backed by anything. But gold can generate income and is popular with conservative investors who invest money for the long term.

When assessing whether it is profitable to invest in gold, the following points should be taken into account:

• The price of gold is not constant. It can both rise and fall.
• The price of gold is set in dollars. Because of this feature, the prospects for investment in this metal look much better for Russia.
• How profitable it will be to invest in gold will depend on the chosen instrument.(OMS, bullion, etc.). The actions of the investor himself will also affect profits.

To assess the profitability of gold, here are a few facts:

• In 1968, they gave only $40 per ounce, and in 2020 – $1,527.
• At the beginning of 2008, a troy ounce cost about $839, and at the end of 2012 it was already confidently fluctuating around $1,650-$1,750.
• At the beginning of 2019, gold quotes were at just below $1,300, and in mid-August they began to fluctuate around $1,500.

The main pitfalls and pitfalls

Virtually any investment instruments have pitfalls, gold is no exception. They must be taken into account in order to make a profit and not a loss from investing your own funds.

The following pitfalls must be taken into account

• Long shelf life. The best investments in gold can be made during quiet times for the market. If you plan to place funds for several years (or better yet, several decades), then when a crisis occurs there will be a good profit. But when selling in quiet times - at best case it will be possible to cover inflation.
• Costs for storage, maintenance, etc. If you purchase real gold in the form of bars or coins, then it must be stored correctly and carefully. Fees may apply for servicing brokerage or other accounts with paper gold. Because of this pitfall, income will only be noticeable if there is a significant jump in cost.
• Large difference between purchase and sale prices. Selling gold for RUB 3,329. per gram, the bank offers to buy it back for 3056 rubles, and this situation is no exception to the rule.

The pitfalls for investors are mainly related to taxation. If you own metal for less than 3 years, you will have to pay personal income tax. There are a number of situations where you can avoid tax, for example, by using the right to deduction. But the investor will have to study all these nuances, collect papers and be interested in these pitfalls.

Is it worth investing money in gold?

Of course, everyone has the right to decide for themselves whether or not to invest in gold. But for most people the answer is yes. The investment will be especially profitable if the purchase of gold was made in quiet times. When selling during a crisis or simply during an unstable economic situation, you can make a good profit in this case.

The gold investment guide suggests investing approximately 5-10% of your portfolio into this instrument. This will allow you to calmly go through a difficult time in the event of a crisis, without the need to take drastic and rash actions before the onset of a sufficiently bright period.

Sometimes it is recommended to immediately invest money in gold and silver. This is acceptable for portfolio diversification, but we must take into account the fall in interest in silver in Lately and other moments associated with this precious metal.

Gold is an asset that has traditionally been extremely attractive among investors. What is the reason for this? What are the ways to invest in gold and what determines their effectiveness?

How profitable is investing in gold?

is, in fact, a type of entrepreneurship whose history goes back thousands of years. This precious metal has been valued at all times, and today its demand as a liquid and reliable asset remains relevant.

However, the main criterion for the investment attractiveness of any asset— how legitimate it is to expect a stable increase in its value. Is gold characterized by this property? modern stage development of the world economy? Is it worth investing in gold today, or should you prefer other investment options - more profitable and, perhaps, predictable in terms of capitalization prospects?

Indeed, gold, like many other precious metals, is characterized by an extremely high degree of price volatility. And this is despite the fact that today they are formed on the world market, which is characterized by quite a lot of inertia (as a result of which unpredictable large-scale jumps and drops in prices for raw materials and goods are more a rarity than a rule - but they certainly do occur). Gold is a highly sought-after commodity. Many central banks, including the Bank of Russia, seek to secure their reserves, primarily in gold, and are actively purchasing it. It is extremely rare for situations when an oversupply of this precious metal appears on the market.

But, one way or another, statistics recent years suggests that world gold prices are far from stable. If in September 2007 gold cost about $700 per troy ounce, then 5 years later its price rose to $1,700. Today ( early 2020) the cost of gold is about $1580 per troy ounce.

What could this mean for an investor? The first is that you need to invest in gold if you are confident that its purchase price is “at the bottom” or close to such a level. Secondly, given the realities of the modern market, gold is not very suitable for “short” investments. The volatility of gold prices throughout the year and even within a month can be tens of percent - both towards higher and lower prices.

It is very difficult to predict in which direction the gold rate will go based on trends in the global economy. Thus, it is extremely difficult to draw a correlation between the prices of this noble metal and oil prices and indicators of leading stock markets.

Thus, investing in gold in many cases makes sense if it is possible to make “long investments”.

With short trades, there is a risk of falling into a downward trend, as a result of which the investment will be unprofitable. But there is, of course, the possibility of a different outcome - and here the question is the investor’s competence in predicting the influence of certain factors on world gold prices. There are a lot of such factors, and not all of them appear predictably, not to mention the possible results of their impact on economic processes.

In addition, the acquisition of gold assets can be useful in the activities of a large corporation - as a tool for business diversification.

For her, the “gold” portfolio most likely will not be the leader in volume, but it can become a guarantor of business liquidity if problems with cash suddenly arise in cash and other assets with which the company can pay creditors.

It also matters how exactly investments in gold are made. Let's look at the most common options for such investments.

What are the ways to invest in gold?

Probably the easiest way is investing in physical gold. That is, purchasing gold bars or products containing this precious metal - for example, commemorative coins, jewelry. You can purchase physical gold from different suppliers - but the question is where to store it later. The most reliable options here are renting a safe deposit box at a bank or opening an impersonal metal account at a financial institution. The bank will assume the main risks to ensure the safety of gold. Such services are available in most of the largest Russian banks - including Sberbank and VTB 24.

If necessary, the owner of an impersonal account can sell his precious metal at any time. In many cases, asset management operations on compulsory medical insurance can be carried out via the Internet - using Personal account depositor.

The main risk in opening compulsory medical insurance— that such accounts are not subject to the legislation on deposit insurance. If the bank closes, then the return of the volumes of gold transferred to it will be possible only as part of the bankruptcy procedure and collection of debt from the credit institution at the expense of its existing assets.

Another way to invest in gold is by investing in shares of gold mining corporations(and related businesses - for example, jewelry). They can be carried out either by interacting with issuers directly or through brokers or a stock exchange. It is noteworthy that the growth of capitalization of gold mining firms in many cases does not depend on an increase in gold prices. It also happens the other way around: when the metal becomes cheaper, the demand for it increases, and as a result, the need for more gold supplies. The number of orders at the enterprise is growing, and its capitalization is increasing.

The same can be said about the jewelry business. At the same time, the key factors for the growth of shares of companies associated with gold mining may be extremely different from those that characterize jewelry companies. As a rule, central banks are among the largest customers of gold mining corporations. The main buyers of jewelry are still private individuals. The structure and activity of demand from both sides may be different.

The next option is conducting classic stock trading, within which gold will be one of the trading instruments (like, for example, currencies on FOREX). This scheme allows you to use “leverage” - when, with a small amount of investment, it is possible to increase it several times if the trader guesses the price movement correctly. It can also be negative - and this is another advantage in exchange trading in gold. Even if world prices for this precious metal fall, a trader can end up with a big win.

Thus, the effectiveness of investments in gold in modern conditions depends on the method of their implementation, the knowledge and skills of the investor in terms of managing “gold” assets - physical metal, securities of gold mining corporations (and other related businesses), as well as in terms of the implementation of exchange transactions with gold. At the same time, an increase in the cost of physical gold does not predetermine the growth of capitalization of gold mining businesses - and vice versa. But with experience, many investors can gain the ability to predict trends in both cases with high accuracy, and they can be extremely successful in running a business using gold assets.

Gold price forecast for 2020