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Five Frequently Asked Questions by Investors about Investing in Gold

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This is a sponsored article from State Street Global Advisors.

Traditionally, investors have used gold tactically with the aim of helping to preserve wealth during market corrections, times of geopolitical stress or persistent dollar weakness. However, the expanding universe of investable asset classes and the relative ease of shifting between different assets mean that today’s typical multi-asset fund looks different to “balanced” stock-and-bond funds of the past.

Gold, a unique asset class that historically has a low or negative correlation with most other asset classes, is finding its way into many multi-asset strategies.

We have gathered some most frequently asked questions by investors about investing in gold, with Robin Tsui, ETF Gold Specialist at State Street Global Advisors, providing his insights below.

Q: What is the near term outlook for gold?
A: Gold is trading below the US$1,900/oz peak level reached in September 2011, so gold price is nowhere close to its prior peak. We may potentially see more upside potential than downside risk for gold due to ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, stretched valuations in equity markets and the current low real interest rate environment. Since the start of 2016, as a result of heightened geopolitical risk, an increase in stock market valuations, and a rising number of shock events such as Brexit and Trump’s presidential victory, gold is increasingly becoming an important strategic allocation in an investor’s portfolio to hedge against unexpected risk.

Since 2016, we have seen very strong inflows into SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and other physically-backed gold ETFs.

Gold has traded within a US$1,150 and US$1,350 an ounce range since the third quarter of 2013. There have been occasional moves outside these parameters, but they have not been sustained. Today’s price is a little above the midpoint of this trading range, and the possibility of another test of the overhead resistance in the area around US$1,350 may represent a potential tactical opportunity.

Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., State Street Global Advisors, June 30, 2013 – September 30, 2017. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Q: Where will gold go with the US rate hikes?
There may be short-term noise, but interest rate hikes are not necessarily negative for gold. The ten interest rate tightening cycles we analyzed since 1971, when gold effectively became free-floating, resulted in an average increase of 37% in the price of gold1. In line with prior tightening cycles, gold is currently up 21% (as of 30 September 2017) from the price level we saw in December 2015 when the current interest rate tightening cycle had just begun2.

It is important to note that historically, it is the real interest rate – as opposed to the nominal rate – that appears to have been the more predominant driver of gold3. We expect global real interest rates to remain fairly low in the near term and we expect this will continue to benefit gold as an non-yielding asset because a low real interest rate environment will potentially lower the opportunity cost of holding gold, making it a more attractive investment.

We expect the Fed to adopt a gradual path of interest rate rises in the near term and any upside surprises to inflation (a key indicator for the Fed when deciding to raise rates) should keep real interest rates low relative to historical levels.

Click here to continue reading on the following.

  • Will a strong dollar weaken gold?
  • Low inflation – what’s the role of gold?
  • Is gold too volatile for a portfolio?
Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., State Street Global Advisors, April 1, 1971–September 30, 2017.
Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., State Street Global Advisors, December 15, 2015 –September 30, 2017.
Source: State Street Global Advisors, “The Role of Gold in Today’s Global Multi-Asset Portfolio”, October 2017.

FOR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH THE PUBLIC.
All forms of investments carry risks, including the risk of losing all of the invested amount. Such activities may not be suitable for everyone. Investing in commodities entail significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors.

The views expressed in this material are the views of Robin Tsui through the period ended 16 January 2018 and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This material contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.

SPDR Gold Trust (the “Trust”) is currently listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“SEHK”) and Singapore Exchange Limited (“SGX”). No action has been taken to permit an offering of Shares of the Trust other than those listed above. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trust’s fees and expenses. The Trust’s prospectus is available and may be obtained upon request from State Street Global Advisors Asia Limited and State Street Global Advisors Singapore Limited (Co. Reg. No: 200002719D, regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore) or can be downloaded from www.spdrgoldshares.com. Investors should read the prospectus of the Trust before deciding whether to purchase Shares. Shares in the Trust are not obligations of, deposits in, or guaranteed by, World Gold Trust Services, LLC, State Street Global Advisors or any of their affiliates. You may wish to seek advice from a financial advisor before making a commitment to purchase Shares. In the event that you choose not to seek advice from a financial advisor, you should consider whether the Trust is suitable for you. Investors have no right to request the sponsor to redeem their Shares while the Shares are listed. It is intended the holders of the Shares may only deal in their shares through trading on the SEHK and the SGX. Listing of Shares on the SEHK and the SGX do not guarantee a liquid market for the Shares, and the Trust may be delisted from the SEHK and the SGX. Nothing contained herein constitutes investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. Shares may fall or rise. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

The Trust has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the offerings to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in the registration statement and other documents GLD has filed with the SEC for more complete information about GLD and this offering. Please see the GLD prospectus for a detailed discussion of the risks of investing in GLD shares. When distributed electronically, the GLD prospectus is available by clicking here. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at sec.gov or by visiting spdrgoldshares.com. Alternatively, the Trust or any authorized participant will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling +852 2103 0288 (Hong Kong) or +65 6826 7555 (Singapore).

ETFs trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns.

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State Street Global Advisors Asia Limited, 68/F, Two International Finance Centre, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong. Telephone: +852 2103-0288. Facsimile: +852 2103-0200. Web: www.SSGA.com

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This is a sponsored article from State Street Global Advisors.

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