The parent company decided last November to sell the U. K business and to retain its U. Asset-management valuations are quite high, and Gartmore U. K has posted strong performance over the past couple of years, partly due to the strength of its London-based hedge fund business. A person familiar with the sale says that a deal is near and that an announcement should be made over the next few weeks. Another Frontier There's been a flurry of Islamic-focused hedge funds, in which banks and large institutions, especially in Europe, try to profit from the growth in the Middle East.
The funds also often work hard at reaching pockets of wealthy Islamic investors. Last week, Fortis, a Belgium-based bank, launched the Arabia Fund, a fund of funds investing in hedge funds located in the Gulf region. Other institutions, prior to Fortis, have gone as far as launching Shariah-compliant hedge funds, which invest in accordance with the strict Islamic law.
It's a logistical nightmare to put together such vehicles because Shariah law prohibits profiting from debt and interest payments. In addition, the funds cannot invest in companies that generate profits in relation to certain products, such as pork, alcohol or gambling.
The Arabia Fund will invest in the Middle East, but will be spared the complications of having to comply with Shariah. Noriba - Products and Services The main problem that Noriba faced initially was that Shariah law was interpreted differently in different countries. While Noriba was committed to developing Shariah-compliant products globally, the differing Shariah schools of thought made it hard to develop a single product type that could be rolled out across all the countries.
Malaysia, for instance, which was a thriving market for Islamic finance, was generally thought to adopt a more lenient interpretation of Shariah law. The use of derivatives in Islamic transactions and products was therefore more acceptable, and more common, in Malaysia than in the Middle East countries The integration was completed by the end of According to a UBS official, it was also felt that UBS would be able to meet its client needs better via an integrated business model
Gold Corporation owns the Perth Mint and provides complete transaction confidentiality under the Gold Corporation Act of Many investors enjoy the benefits of an unallocated account as it allows them to own the rights to gold bullion without paying custodial fees and insurance. Additionally, there is great flexibility in the unallocated account. The investor can always opt to take the gold delivery at their own location or a storage facility of their choice.
Allocated Gold Accounts In contrast to the unallocated account provided by the Perth Mint Certificate Programme, an allocated gold account allows an investor to buy, ship, and store gold bullion coins and bars.
The investor has complete ownership of the individual physical gold products and can store them at a bank or depository in their name. You can see your gold or have it delivered to you if you wish. The downside is that you will have to pay the insurance and custodial fees to the bank or depository holding your gold. Additionally, the investor must verify the allocated gold provider before working with them. Credit ratings, the security of the depository, net worth, and provider history are all important elements to research before purchasing allocated gold.
The account should also provide regular audits to ensure that each gold bar and coin is accounted for. Once you have a solid base of physical gold, this can be a way to leverage your gold investment further. Those who are extremely sophisticated when investing in investing could consider investing in gold through the futures market or options. All of these paper gold investments are speculation on the future price of gold.
Unlike physical gold, where you are buying and holding the gold as a type of financial insurance, these paper investments are speculative. You are speculating on the future price of gold, and because of that, you could stand to lose money. With physical gold, you have no plans to sell, so you will never have to take a loss, and because gold continues to increase in value over time, you can be sure that your gold will be worth more in the future than it is today Gold Exchange Traded Funds ETFs To further diversify, you could purchase a gold ETF.
There are several different kinds, and you will have to decide which one best meets your needs. Some hold physical gold only, while others invest in companies that mine and explore for gold, while still others are a combination of the two. With an ETF , you get instant diversification if you are interested in buying stocks of gold companies. The downside is that the ETFs come with an administration fee typically no more than 0. The best is still buying physical gold, whether you hold it yourself or in an allocated account.
Even if you plan on diversifying your gold investment , you should start with physical gold and build a solid foundation before branching out into other gold investment vehicles. Planning for an approaching retirement can be a daunting task. Also, buying gold bullion is a direct investment in gold's value, and each dollar change in the price of gold will proportionally change the value of one's holdings.
Other gold investments, such as mutual funds, may be made in smaller dollar amounts than bullion and also may not have as much direct price exposure as bullion does. Each share of these specialized instruments represents a fixed amount of gold, such as one-tenth of an ounce. These funds may be purchased or sold just like stocks, in any brokerage or individual retirement account IRA. This method is, therefore, easier and more cost-effective than owning bars or coins directly, especially for small investors, as the minimum investment is only the price of a single share of the ETF.
The annual average expense ratios of these funds are often around 0. Many mutual funds own gold bullion and gold companies as part of their normal portfolios, but investors should be aware that only a few mutual funds focus solely on gold investing; most own a number of other commodities. The major advantages of the gold-only mutual funds are: Low cost and low minimum investment required Diversification among different companies Ease of ownership in a brokerage account or an IRA No individual company research needed Some funds invest in the indexes of mining companies and others are tied directly to gold prices.
Still others are actively managed. Read their prospectuses for more information. Traditional mutual funds tend to be actively managed, while ETFs adhere to a passive index-tracking strategy and therefore have lower expense ratios.
For the average gold investor, however, mutual funds and ETFs are now generally the easiest and safest way to invest in gold. Gold Futures and Options Futures are contracts to buy or sell a given amount of an item—in this case, gold—on a particular date in the future.
Futures contracts are standardized and represent a predetermined amount of gold. People often use futures because the commissions are very low, and the margin requirements are much below traditional equity investments. Some contracts settle in dollars, while others settle in gold, so investors must pay attention to the contract specifications to avoid having to take delivery of ounces of gold on the settlement date.
Options on futures are an alternative to buying a futures contract outright. These give the owner of the option the right to buy the futures contract within a certain time frame, at a preset price. One benefit of an option is that it both leverages your original investment and limits losses from the price paid. A futures contract bought on margin can require more capital than originally invested if losses mount quickly. Unlike a futures investment, which is based on the current value of gold, the downside to an option is that the investor must pay a premium to the underlying value of the gold to own the option.
Because of the volatile nature of futures and options, they may be unsuitable for many investors. Gold Mining Companies Companies that specialize in mining and refining will also profit from a rising gold price. Investing in these types of companies can be an effective way to profit from gold and can also carry lower risk than other investment methods.
The largest gold mining companies boast extensive global operations; therefore, business factors common to many other large companies play into the success of such an investment. As a result, these companies can still show a profit in times of flat or declining gold prices. One way they do this is by hedging against a fall in gold prices as a normal part of their business. Some do this, and some don't.
Even so, gold mining companies may provide a safer way to invest in gold than through direct ownership of bullion. At the same time, the research into and selection of individual companies requires due diligence on the investor's part. As this is a time-consuming endeavor, it may not be feasible for many investors. With the world's population and wealth growing annually, demand for gold used in jewelry production should increase over time. On the other hand, gold jewelry buyers are shown to be somewhat price-sensitive, buying less if the price rises swiftly.
Better jewelry bargains may be found at estate sales and auctions. The advantage of buying jewelry this way is that there is no retail markup; the disadvantage is the time spent searching for valuable pieces. Nonetheless, jewelry ownership provides an enjoyable way to own gold, even if it is not the most profitable from an investment standpoint. As an art form, gold jewelry is beautiful.
As an investment, it is mediocre—unless you are the jeweler. Gold as a Diversifier Given gold's low correlation with other types of investment assets, investing in the precious metal traditionally has been considered as a hedge against economic downturns.
In particular, gold's correlation with stock market performance has historically remained low, and gold tends to move in the opposite direction versus the dollar. This means that periods of dollar weakness could spell strength for gold prices. The potential benefits of gold as a hedge against declines in other asset classes may come to the forefront of investors' minds when facing the likelihood of a recession. Based on historical data, gold prices generally increase when inflation-adjusted bond yields decline.
This suggests that there may be some wisdom in allocating a portion of your portfolio to gold as a cushion against rough patches for economic growth. Finding the most suitable gold investment for your portfolio depends on your resources and investment goals. Larger investors looking for direct exposure may opt to invest in gold bullion, but this involves paying a premium and storage costs.
ETFs and mutual funds that track the price of gold offer low-cost exposure with low minimum investments. However, because funds vary in their investment strategies and expense ratios, it's important to do your research before buying these shares.