KK Bullion – Gold Bullion and Investing in Gold

Gold Bars are classified into two different types- casted and minted – based on their manufacturing method. Where gold is measured in ounces, these are troy ounces, which is heavier than the avoirdupois ounce used for food.

The gold industry relies greatly on refiners whose gold bars are accepted by associations and exchanges as “good delivery” for the settlement of transactions.

The reason for this is that each association and exchange normally requires the specified good delivery bars, and the refiners operating from approved refineries, to meet a broad range of criteria.

The procedure also generates confidence in the relevant market that accredited refiners range of other bars and products would also be manufactured to the same high standard.

The most important list of refiners for the international gold bar market is that published by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).

Known as “The Good Delivery List of Acceptable Refiners: Gold” for the settlement of transactions on the London Bullion Market, it records the name of the major refiners around the world that have met its stringent criteria for accreditation.

Each Association and Exchange specifies its own weight and purity. For LMBA the fineness is 995+. The LMBA publishes a list of Acceptable Refiners whose gold bars which weigh approximately 400oz (12.5g) are accepted as London Good Delivery. It also lists Former Melters and Assayers of Good Gold Delivery Bars.

The volatility in global markets amid the credit crunch makes it difficult to forecast how currencies are going to move. So what will 2009 bring for the gold price? There have been sharp fluctuations in the gold price and gold has seen daily swings widen.

The Bank of England can now engage in quantative easing, effectively printing money, which boosts the money supply and raises inflation. This does not bode well for sterling. The more the focus is on the UK banks the weaker the pound is likely to be. So this is leading to even greater borrowing by the government and you may be wondering if we can really afford all these measures.

The euro is also under pressure due to lack of confidence in the euro zone. The European slow down will see the euro tumble to $1.20 which is an 8% drop in current levels.

The yen strengthening is causing real damage to its exports and the bank of Japan is likely to intervene in the currency market to weaken it this year.

The dollar looks to be devalued by the Federal Reserves moves to boost the economy.

America does not need a strong currency in a global downturn and the temptation maybe to inflate away its debt.

A strengthening in the dollar and the yen, global data just looks grimmer and the banking sector is far from sorted out. The trend, therefore, is to look towards risk aversion in investments. Gold is the sole asset that can be turned into cash at a profit and its performance when considering the current global conditions is astounding. In complete contrast to all other investments it is selling at all time highs in all currencies. Euros, rupees, yen, British pounds, even Turkish lira. Precious metals consultancy GFMS predict highs of above $1000 an ounce as investors begin to worry about the collapse of the American dollar.

The LBMA panel’s estimates from 2009 are for a gold price high of $1,074, a low of $721 and an average of $881. Gold is on track to $920 – $940 by the end of the month. This was July’s top, so when gold clears that barrier it will draw lots of attention forcing it to rise even faster.

In China gold is not only a symbol of wealth but also of good fortune. The latest gold rush in China has been fuelled by a combination of factors, such as the depreciation of the US dollar, and the price risen a wide range of commodities, including oil. In Beijing, 300kg gold bars minted by China gold coin Inc to commemorate the year of the Rooster, retailing at 125 Yuan (US$15.60) a gram, were sold out within 7 hours on November 19. Again on the 26 of November demand exceed supply even though the price had increased to 128 Yuan.

The strong demand for gold in China has been embraced by the nation’s banks and other financial institutions. The Bank of China’s Shanghai branch, in November introduced “Gold Treasure”. This has been designed to make it easier for the public to invest in gold. Instead of taking delivery of the gold the investor is given a document issued by the central bank certifying the amount purchased. The investor can sell the gold back to the bank and surrender the certificate.

The population of China is 1.2 Billion and China’s potential demand for gold is 37,000 tonnes A Reuters news report recently announced that Financial News, a newspaper published by Peoples Bank of China, urges an increase in gold reserves to diversify the nations forging exchange holdings. Chinas gold reserves stood at nearly 13 million ounces at the end of September, unchanged from the end of last year, official figures showed this nowhere near compares with the US government reserves of 262 million ounce. The newspaper also said Beijing should allow individuals to freely buy and sell gold and encourage residents to store gold. Until now Chinese residents have only been able to buy gold jewellery through retail stores.

It should be noted that the Chinese have used gold jewellery as a form of saving since time immemorial. “In case of an economic crisis, the state could buy gold form residents and use it to pay back foreign debt” the Financial News said.

China’s impact on gold could be as much as one ounce per capita as with the US, so should china achieve the same financial backing it would require 1.2 Billion ounces of gold or 37,000 tonnes. This is the same amount of gold in deposit today in all the Central Banks in the world. This sort of demand will send the price of gold soaring.

Retail investors have realised that gold bullion offers an effective hedge against currency movements, is an effective inflation hedge, and is a proven safe haven in times of financial turbulence.

Volatile markets have created a surge in retail investments in gold bars and coins.

Zuercher Kantonalbank, the Swiss lender that manages around $107 billion has said its gold vault is full after panicked investors sought a haven during the credit crunch.

The U.S. Mint stopped supplies of certain coins due to extreme demands with sales levels not seen since 1999.

“There has been a swing of investors investing in gold in form to investors specifically choosing to invest in physical gold” said Barclay’s analysts.

Today, the people who own gold are doctors, dentists, nurses, teachers, plumbers and building contractors- even bankers and brokers. The very same people who had to bail out the banks.

Make contact with a gold firm you can trust and form a relationship with them. In these times, that will result in a value added to you gold that you cannot put a price on!

Buy Gold When Interest Rates and Inflation Signal a Golden Opportunity.

History has shown that the most powerful safeguard during times of crisis and financial uncertainty is to buy physical gold. The rapid increase in inflation along with slow moving interest rates makes this the best time to buy gold. Owning gold is one of the best ways to hedge against inflation costs that can cut profits and spending power. More importantly how safe is your money in the bank and how do you protect your wealth?

With our major financial institutions under threat, buying physical gold provides the reassurance that you not only have an investment that is safe but that is going to increase in value. High bullion prices are here to stay as the demand for gold won’t wane any time soon.

If you look back over the year the gold price was $667 an ounce but rose to $1000 on 17th March when Bear Stearns collapsed, it then fell back to its current level of around $800.

The question is whether it is a good time to buy gold bullion now. The answer is yes, because the price is largely determined by supply and demand and there is a limited supply and gold is an asset which is not a liability against someone else’s balance sheet.

The current uncertainties within the world economy have brought people to the gold market who would never have considered it before. These people are not so worried about making a profit but want to have peace of mind and security for the wealth that they have already accrued.

Jeremy Charles, Chairmen of the LBMA says “there is an enormous pick-up in investment demand. I have never seen a market like this in my 33-year career. The gold refineries cannot produce enough bars.”

Investors continue to buy gold inspite of a 9 % drop in its value over the last month. Gold is now trading at $835 an ounce losing nearly all its gains. This is mainly due in part to the strengthening of the US dollar. ETF securities, however, reports its Physical Gold Fund has seen more buyers than any other exchange-traded commodity since mid-July, when gold prices first began to fall.

If the dollars strength is short lived, which many believe it will be, the price of gold is likely to go up again. Longer term speculators are using the recent fall in the price of gold as a buying opportunity. Many people have been waiting to get into the market but it was too high and are now looking at this current situation as a great buying opportunity. Many predict that in relation to the dollar the price of gold will end up at $1000 to $1200 by the end of the year.

The Indian market has an effect on the price of gold bars over the summer as this is their festival season. This always causes an over selling of gold and then the market has to realign itself.

Concerns about the long term outlook for the dollar and inflation affect the gold bullion price but at the moment one of the triggers for investing in gold is the economic uncertainties which lie ahead of us.

If you do not have gold in your portfolio you need to think again, as it should be an essential part of it. If you can buy it at $850 or less then it’s a bargain.

Gold and gold bullion is forecast to rise as high $2000 or more an ounce “in the next leg up” by Frank Holmes of US Global Investors (his Gold and Precious Metal Fund is up 40.1% a year over the past three years).Mr Holmes says that there are several reasons for that not just one. He believes that all other commodities have gone through their inflation adjusted prices of 1980 except for Gold and Silver. So gold is more of a monetary asset, and its money around the world. Gold performs well in either inflation or deflation.

Thomas Winmill of the Midas Fund, one of the top performing precious metals funds believes that gold could see $1500 in the next 12 to 18 months. The fund managers have identified 5 factors which will drive gold prices higher.

1. Declining of the dollar.
2. More inflation in the future.
3. Investors will seek greater safety in gold.
4. Higher oil prices.
5. Gold should follow other commodities.

In a March 3, 2008 article entitled “Gold Beats Financial Assets as Investors Seek Haven”. Bloomberg reported that “Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium may be the best – performing financial assets this year as inflation and slow growth erode the value of the world’s major currencies, bonds and stocks.” “ Gold… may gain at least 24% this year as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S Bernake prioritises cutting interest rates over controlling consumer prices.”

The long term outlook for the dollar are lower highs and lower lows. However, for gold bullion it is just the opposite, higher highs and higher lows. Gold is in a bull market because its core fundamentals are so outstanding.

The gold price is driven by supply and demand. Each year the world’s gold mines produce only 2,500 metric tonnes of gold. The best estimates indicate that the whole planet buys 4000- 5000 tonnes of gold a year. Therefore it is very clear that demand exceeds supply by 60% to 100%annually creating a structural shortage situation.

Also banks are no longer selling enough gold to make up for global demand above the amount of gold mined each year.

Billionaire financier George Soros was starting to buy gold once more. Mr Sorso has been a familiar name in gold. In April gold was at a 10 year low when he bought 10% of Newmont Mining Corporation from Sir James Goldsmith. In May gold prices shot up to $880 an ounce in two a days. Analysts have said that the huge push in gold has been triggered by talk that Mr Soros was changing his investment mix possibly shifting into gold from the weakening bond market as signs of a strengthening economy have raised concerns over renewed inflation in the US.

The key is that during times of crisis and fear gold rises and individual governments cannot stop it. During more predictable times governments are able to maintain control and keep a lid on the price of gold. This causes gold to move in a “stair step” pattern. Historically gold bullion has been immune from inflation since gold is one of the few investments that is not simultaneously an asset and at the same time someone else’s liability

Investing in Gold has done very well in spite of the chaotic backdrop of this years markets and it is predicted to do even better. Gold is in a bull market because its core fundamentals are so outstanding.

The gold bullion price is driven by supply and demand. Each year the world’s gold mines produce only 2,500 metric tonnes of gold. The best estimates indicate that the whole planet buys 4,000-5,000 metric tonnes of gold a year. Hence global demand exceeds supply by 60% to 100% annually creating structural shortage situation. Banks are no longer selling enough gold to make up for global demand above the amount of gold mined each year.

With this in mind gold is forecast to reach $1500 to $2000 dollars in the foreseeable future. Some analysts believe that this could be a soon as the next 12 to 18 months. Fund managers have identified 5 significant factors which will drive the price of gold bullion up even higher:

• The decline of the dollar
• More inflation in the future
• Investors will seek greater safety in gold
• Higher oil prices
• Boom in demand for commodities and precious metals

In March 2008 Bloomberg reported that “gold…may be the best performing financial asset this years as inflation and slow growth erode the value of the worlds major currencies, bond and stocks.” “ Gold …may gain at least 24% this year as the Federal reserve Chairman Ben.S.Bernanke prioritizes cutting interest rates…”

Higher US interest rates would justify long-term dollar strength and with it, a falling long-term gold price. The US housing market has fallen by more than 12% in the last year alone. In reaction to this the FED is trying to soften the impact by allowing homeowners to extend their mortgages to longer periods at lower rates. The future of the dollar appears to be an index of lower highs and lower lows where as gold should see and opposite pattern with higher highs and higher lows.

Recently gold has dipped from March’s record $1,030 an ounce to around $850 as the dollar bounced off its record low against the euro; abating risk-aversion amid recovering stock markets has also hampered the yellow metals. Still, with the sub-prime crisis far from over, GFMS (independent researchers of the gold market) see scope for gold to rally to record levels once again. This current dip in the price may offer a buying opportunity.