gold, page-49425

I cannot make sense of what you are saying. It seems discussions on this thread go off track very quickly, probably due to prejudiced views. Surely the discussion is not about about gold or EFT or any other asset class. The essence of discussion ought to be where best to invest your funds to gain the best return over a defined timeframe.

Of course gold is gold and, as a commodity, it is different to an index EFT - if you simply look at it that away. That is not the point though is it? Are you seriously saying it doesn't matter that an investment could have returned multiples more because I'm happy leaving my wealth in gold?

If buying gold to wear or look at is your thing then great but, if I suspect is the case, you want the best investment returns possible why blindly ignore what an index chart is saying?

The argument that an index is not really true because it cherry picks stock through companies dropping in an out is also nonsense. Again the argument must be whether company profits grow (the collective) at a rate year-on-year. In the collective, all an index is doing is proving that to be the case. It is just a measure of economic growth. It is not difficult to track the index, better still for an active investor it is possible to beat it (though difficult)

Back to your point about gold being since day dot. So what? Are you suggesting that company returns will diminish going forward and that will reflect in a declining index value? Do you stop for one moment and think about what that means! If companies are not earning they are not hiring and not producing, therefore if it persists we go in an eternal downward trend of depreciating assets. Global economies collapse and then what use is gold?

For better or worse global economies are tied to the system that is currently working. Standards of living are improving in most areas and we continue to evolve better ways of building, growing, working etc.

Gold is a sideshow with no bearing on global commerce. It will continue to oscillate in a small range indefinitely. There is no reason for it to do anything other than that. The myths about money supply and 'free money' and nothing backs fiat are astounding! Hogwash, most of it, completely missing the point and ignorance of money flow within the economy.

Gold being around since day dot is irrelevant. So have most other elements on earth!