Gold ETFs that work like trusts are simple. The trust holds physical gold and issues shares. The shareholder has fractional ownership of that gold. Physically backed gold ETFs seek to track the spot price of gold, and there are also Gold backed IRA companies that offer similar services. To do this, they physically store ingots, ingots and gold coins in a vault on behalf of investors.
Each share is worth a proportionate share of an ounce of gold. The price of the ETF will fluctuate depending on the value of gold in the vault. However, the fund itself maintains gold-backed gold derivative contracts. So, if you invest in a gold ETF, you won't actually own any gold.
The largest and most liquid gold ETF is the SPDR Gold Shares. It is the standard of reference for investors seeking direct exposure to the price of the yellow metal. The only assets of the ETF are gold bars, which it stores in secured vaults. The first gold ETF launched was Gold Bullion Securities, which was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on March 28, 2003, by ETF Securities and its main shareholder, Graham Tuckwell.
While there are other gold mining stocks and individual precious metal indices, a gold ETF may be a simpler or more diverse way to invest in the gold mining industry. This gold ETF offers the same direct exposure to the price of gold, since it also has gold ingots, but at a lower cost. The idea of a gold ETF was first conceptualized by Benchmark Asset Management Company Private Ltd of India, which submitted a proposal to the Securities and Exchange Council of India in May 2002. This is because it focuses on smaller mining companies, known as junior gold miners, some of which are still companies in the exploration phase. Or if, after extensive research, an experienced investor decides to short sell gold, trading a reverse gold ETF can be a simple way to benefit from falling gold prices.
Gold ETFs consist of gold contracts and derivatives and can only be redeemed for cash, never for gold itself. That makes it the best gold ETF for those who want to invest in mining companies as a way to play in the gold market. If a given country depends solely on gold as its main source of income, an investor with risky portfolio assets in that country can sell or short sell a gold ETF as protection. A gold ETF is a commodity exchange-traded fund that can be used to hedge the commodity risk of gold or expose itself to fluctuations in gold itself.
The SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust is a lower cost product launched by the same investment managers as the SPDR Gold Shares ETF. There is a wide variety of other gold and precious metals ETFs, if you decide to look for additional gold ETF options. A gold ETF provides investors with an opportunity to expose themselves to gold's performance or price movements. The advantage of owning a gold mining company ETF instead of a gold price ETF is that it can generate higher returns.
In some countries, gold ETFs represent a way to avoid the sales tax or value added tax that would apply to physical gold coins and ingots. Gold tends to rise when the dollar is weak, so if your investment portfolio contains assets that are exposed to downward dollar risk, buying a gold ETF can help you cover that exposure.
