{"id":24600,"date":"2011-10-19T22:14:00","date_gmt":"2011-10-20T02:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/countingpips.com\/fx\/2011\/10\/19\/the-euro-zone%e2%80%99s-fire-breathing-monster\/"},"modified":"2011-10-19T22:14:00","modified_gmt":"2011-10-20T02:14:00","slug":"the-euro-zones-fire-breathing-monster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/2011\/10\/19\/the-euro-zones-fire-breathing-monster\/","title":{"rendered":"The Euro Zone\u2019s Fire Breathing Monster"},"content":{"rendered":"

By MoneyMorning.com.au<\/strong><\/p>\n

Within the space of 18 months, the debt crisis has grown from a hatchling in Greece, consumed a few bloated PIIGS, and then gestated into a full-blown, fire-breathing monster with a wingspan the width of Europe.<\/p>\n

Europe’s debt crisis has grown into a monster very rapidly.<\/p>\n

Politicians can scurry around and have as many emergency meetings as they want, but they’re delusional if they reckon they can fix debt with debt.<\/span><\/p>\n

And all this debt is eroding the value of your cash.<\/p>\n

But there are alternatives instead of holding onto paper notes.<\/p>\n

Like precious metals.<\/p>\n

It’s best to think of precious metals as an alternative to holding cash<\/u> in a portfolio.<\/p>\n

The risk, of course, is that gold and silver prices fall significantly. But I don’t expect this to happen. As you’ll know if you read my articles earlier this week…<\/p>\n

It’s best not to think of gold and silver metal as a way to make you rich though. Think of it as something that will work for you as a store of value<\/u>.<\/p>\n

Even though the spot price of gold has dropped from its earlier highs – investor demand for the metal is outpacing supply.<\/p>\n

\"5<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\"5<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Source: kitco.com<\/div>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The increase in popularity in bullion has left many investors new to the gold and silver market wondering which is the best way to get their hands on precious metals.<\/p>\n

My favourite option is buying physical bullion.<\/p>\n

Buying physical gold or silver is more expensive because dealers charge a premium. You then have the cost of delivery, storage and insurance. But the nice thing about it is you actually know you own it<\/u>!<\/p>\n

You can choose from coins, antique coins, nuggets and bullion bars.<\/p>\n

Coins are pretty, but because of the detail they’re more costly to buy. Antique coins are a specialised market. And nuggets are great, but the price varies on purity and other factors.<\/p>\n

If you’re investing for the long-term, in my opinion it’s best to do it with bullion.<\/p>\n

You can buy the metal directly from a dealer’s office. Or put an order by phone or online. Delivery is easily arranged. But ask questions about the method used and whether it’s insured.<\/p>\n

While there are plenty of bullion dealers in Australia, there’s another surprising way to get your hands on the shiny stuff.<\/p>\n

Bizarrely, eBay has quite an active silver market! I’ve bought and sold successfully this way quite a few times.<\/p>\n

This is much riskier than going through a registered dealer. And it’s essential to get the metal tested. This is as easy as going to a business that buys scrap gold and silver, and asking them nicely to scan it for you.<\/p>\n

Importantly, stick with good sellers when you find them. And it’s a smart move to get the seller to send it recorded delivery and insure it.<\/p>\n

Enjoy that bullion!<\/p>\n

Alex Cowie
\nEditor, Diggers & Drillers<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

[Ed note:<\/strong> Alex gave subscribers a complete rundown on how to buy, hold and sell physical gold bullion in the May 2011 issue of Diggers & Drillers. If you’d like to know more about Alex’s investment advisory service and buying gold, click here…<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Related Articles<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Why Chinese Monetary Planning Means More Volatility for You<\/a><\/p>\n

Australia: The World’s Investing Casino<\/a><\/p>\n

Why China’s Hidden Debt is Bad News for Aussie Stocks<\/a><\/p>\n

The Great Indian Coal Rush<\/a><\/p>\n

The Other Side of Short Selling<\/a><\/p>\n

From the Archives…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Can You Beat Goldman Sachs?<\/a><\/strong>
\n2011-10-14 – Kris Sayce<\/p>\n

Three Stocks to Sell Before China Slumps<\/a><\/strong>
\n2011-10-13 – Kris Sayce<\/p>\n

Why Allocation Beats Diversification<\/a><\/strong>
\n2011-10-12 – Kris Sayce<\/p>\n

Huge Rally – Is the Low In?<\/a><\/strong>
\n2011-10-11 – Murray Dawes<\/p>\n

Queensland Housing’s 100-Year Slump<\/a><\/strong>
\n2011-10-10 – Kris Sayce<\/p>\n

For editorial enquiries and feedback, email moneymorning@moneymorning.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n


\nThe Euro Zone\u2019s Fire Breathing Monster <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By MoneyMorning.com.au Within the space of 18 months, the debt crisis has grown from a hatchling in Greece, consumed a few bloated PIIGS, and then gestated into a full-blown, fire-breathing monster with a wingspan the width of Europe. Europe’s debt crisis has grown into a monster very rapidly. Politicians can scurry around and have as … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Euro Zone\u2019s Fire Breathing Monster”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}