Halloween may be over, but the eerily missed opportunities in gold investments are still out there. Have you invested in gold yet? If not, it could be that you've missed a significant chance. Over the last ten years, gold has reaffirmed its position as an asset protection, overshadowing investors who've left their money exclusively in banks.
Let's look back a decade: If you had deposited €100,000 in a traditional savings account at a bank in 2011, you'd now have a mostly unchanged sum. With an average inflation rate of 1.3% per year, your money would have actually lost purchasing power. Furthermore, most banks offer almost no interest on savings accounts, or day and fixed deposit accounts in the current low-interest environment.
However, if you had invested the same amount in gold ten years ago, your investment would be worth significantly more today. The price of gold in 2011 was around €1,300 per ounce, and it has since risen to about €1,850, representing an increase of approximately 42%. This means that your €100,000 investment would be worth around €142,000 today.
But why has the price of gold surged so significantly? Gold has traditionally been a refuge in times of crisis, and over the past decade, there have been numerous events that could have unsettled investors: the European debt crisis, Brexit, trade wars, the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently, the Middle East conflict. During all these events, the price of gold rose, as it is viewed by investors as a safe haven in uncertain times.
However, it's not just geopolitical uncertainties that have influenced the price of gold. Central banks' expansionary monetary policies have also played a role. They have injected significant amounts of money (FIAT currency) into the market and kept interest rates near zero, or even in negative territory. These measures have driven many investors away from fixed-income investments and led them to invest in alternative assets, including gold.
It's clear that gold has been a superior strategy in recent decades. But what does this mean for the future? No one can say for certain what the next years will bring. However, it's certain that gold can continue to serve as a safe investment in the uncertain times to come. The world faces further challenges, including rising debt, inflation risks, geopolitical tensions, health crises, technological disruptions, and environmental impacts.
You might be wondering now why you haven't invested in gold earlier. Gold could be the key to safeguarding your hard-earned savings in the years ahead. Your future could be even brighter and more secure than you currently imagine.