- In times of recession, counterparty risks in paper assets like bonds tend to increase.
- Gold, on the other hand, cannot default, go bankrupt or fail to carry out its end of the deal.
- Its value is retained in spite of the recession as it is backed up not by paper promises but by inherent value.
- Unlike equities, gold does not require a business to keep it
- Gold’s value isn’t dependent on revenues and profits.
- This makes holding gold imperative during an economic downturn when stocks are hit by losses.
- As central banks cut rates to facilitate flow of credit into the system and reignite economic activity, your fixed-income instruments will yield lower or re-price at a lower rate of interest.
- This reduces the opportunity cost of holding gold, further increasing its attractiveness as an asset class in a low- yielding recessionary environment.
- Central banks are injecting liquidity with their bond-buying programmes to dodge a system-wide collapse and boost economic activity.
- In contrast, gold is a reliable store of value as it cannot be printed or created at the discretion of central banks.
- Gold benefits from economic distress and crisis as people shun risk assets and flee to gold’s safety.
- The asset class thus attracts more flows, and this momentum, in turn, ensures further gains.
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