Silver Rocket Bitches!
15th November 2011, 06:54 AM
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — The allure of gold is thousands of years old, but nowadays the precious metal has a youthful look.
Gold’s spectacular, decade-long run, coupled with the sovereign-debt crisis in Europe, an uncertain outlook for the U.S. dollar, and worries of worldwide recession, has tapped a new vein of investors in their 20s and 30s.
TODAY'S TOP INVESTING IDEAS (http://www.marketwatch.com/Investing) | Research tools (http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/research-tools)
Click to Play http://m.wsj.net/video/20111104/sf110411smallcap2/sf110411smallcap2_512x288.jpg (http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/investors-may-be-overlooking-small-cap-plays-2011-11-04/4DC0FEB3-26F0-41E0-89C5-DF608033A600)
Are you overlooking small-cap plays? (http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/investors-may-be-overlooking-small-cap-plays-2011-11-04/4DC0FEB3-26F0-41E0-89C5-DF608033A600?link=MW_story_insert) Investors are turning to large-cap stocks for safety and dividends. But they may be missing small-cap opportunities. Jonathan Burton reports.
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The popularity of gold among young investors speaks to the metal’s impressive role as a storer of wealth — and says a great deal about a generation that has seen its share of stock market booms-and-busts, a housing market collapse, and, over the past few weeks, government debt of Greece and Italy trading at yields more akin to junk bonds.
Generation Au
Accordingly, many of these gold buyers have little faith in equities and, unlike older investors, are more inclined to consider alternative investments. Others seek tangible, hard assets as a counterweight to stocks, bonds and cash in the aftermath of the 2008 U.S. financial crisis.
“It was only a matter of time,” said Divnain Malik, head of retail sales at Gold Bullion International, a seller of physical gold in New York. While around half of his clients are baby boomers and more established gold investors, the “younger demographic seems to be catching on.”
Indeed, the 25-to-35 year-old age bracket is the firm’s fastest growing segment of buyers, he said. Over the past two months, about half of the hundreds of new accounts opened at his firm were from people in their 20s and 30s, he noted, adding that younger investors are increasingly sophisticated, do not want to repeat others’ mistakes, and are protective of their investments.
Said Malik: For them, “it’s not about the risk in gold, it’s the risk anywhere else.”
Gold’s strong track record, of course, is clearly a big draw. Gold has enjoyed a string of nominal record highs for the better part of two years, as investors have fretted about currency debasement, potential for inflation, and unbridled government spending.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-gold-bugs-are-young-and-restless-2011-11-11
Gold’s spectacular, decade-long run, coupled with the sovereign-debt crisis in Europe, an uncertain outlook for the U.S. dollar, and worries of worldwide recession, has tapped a new vein of investors in their 20s and 30s.
TODAY'S TOP INVESTING IDEAS (http://www.marketwatch.com/Investing) | Research tools (http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/research-tools)
Click to Play http://m.wsj.net/video/20111104/sf110411smallcap2/sf110411smallcap2_512x288.jpg (http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/investors-may-be-overlooking-small-cap-plays-2011-11-04/4DC0FEB3-26F0-41E0-89C5-DF608033A600)
Are you overlooking small-cap plays? (http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/investors-may-be-overlooking-small-cap-plays-2011-11-04/4DC0FEB3-26F0-41E0-89C5-DF608033A600?link=MW_story_insert) Investors are turning to large-cap stocks for safety and dividends. But they may be missing small-cap opportunities. Jonathan Burton reports.
• How to trade the new Greek crisis (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2011/11/01/how-to-trade-the-new-greek-crisis/)
• A stock market versus a market of stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-stock-market-versus-a-market-of-stocks-2011-11-02?link=MW_story_insert)
• A beginner’s guide to hedging (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-beginners-guide-to-hedging-2011-11-02?link=MW_story_insert)
SAVING FOR RETIREMENT (http://www.marketwatch.com/retirement)
• Our financial smarts erode quickly after age 60 (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/our-financial-smarts-erode-quickly-after-age-60-2011-10-27?link=MW_story_insert)
• Quiz: Your money and investing smarts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-questions-test-your-money-and-investing-smarts-2011-10-27?link=MW_story_insert)
• MarketWatch readers score top marks on quiz (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/marketwatch-readers-score-top-marks-on-money-quiz-2011-10-27?link=MW_story_insert)
• How to invest so your money lasts in retirement (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-invest-so-your-money-lasts-in-retirement-2011-11-01?link=MW_story_insert)
THE TELL: MARKETS NEWS AND ANALYSIS (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/)
• Why 'buy and hold' is timely advice (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2011/11/01/best-approach-to-investing-this-year-buy-and-hold/) (The Tell)
• Corporate bonds worth a new look (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2011/11/01/corporate-bonds-look-good-again-federated/) (The Tell)
• Some people are born spenders (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2011/10/31/why-some-people-are-born-to-spend/) (The Tell)
The popularity of gold among young investors speaks to the metal’s impressive role as a storer of wealth — and says a great deal about a generation that has seen its share of stock market booms-and-busts, a housing market collapse, and, over the past few weeks, government debt of Greece and Italy trading at yields more akin to junk bonds.
Generation Au
Accordingly, many of these gold buyers have little faith in equities and, unlike older investors, are more inclined to consider alternative investments. Others seek tangible, hard assets as a counterweight to stocks, bonds and cash in the aftermath of the 2008 U.S. financial crisis.
“It was only a matter of time,” said Divnain Malik, head of retail sales at Gold Bullion International, a seller of physical gold in New York. While around half of his clients are baby boomers and more established gold investors, the “younger demographic seems to be catching on.”
Indeed, the 25-to-35 year-old age bracket is the firm’s fastest growing segment of buyers, he said. Over the past two months, about half of the hundreds of new accounts opened at his firm were from people in their 20s and 30s, he noted, adding that younger investors are increasingly sophisticated, do not want to repeat others’ mistakes, and are protective of their investments.
Said Malik: For them, “it’s not about the risk in gold, it’s the risk anywhere else.”
Gold’s strong track record, of course, is clearly a big draw. Gold has enjoyed a string of nominal record highs for the better part of two years, as investors have fretted about currency debasement, potential for inflation, and unbridled government spending.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-gold-bugs-are-young-and-restless-2011-11-11