Gold is listed or described as a commodity on the stock market because it is a natural resource that has a universal value and can be traded on various platforms.
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| Gold is listed or described as a commodity, Iamge help Freepik |
Is gold considered a commodity
Commodities are goods that are produced or extracted from the earth and are standardized in quality and quantity. Some examples of commodities are oil, wheat, copper, and gold.
Gold is different from other commodities, however, because it has a unique role in the financial systems of cultures worldwide. Unlike most commodities, gold has value far beyond its applications in industry.
Gold is also seen as a proxy for money and a safe-haven asset that can protect against inflation, deflation, and market crises. Gold is also used as a reserve asset by many central banks and sovereign wealth funds.
Therefore, gold is not only a commodity, but also an investment and a form of money. Gold can be traded on the stock market as a physical commodity, such as gold bars or coins, or as a financial instrument, such as gold futures or exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Gold prices are influenced by various factors, such as supply and demand, geopolitical events, monetary policies, and market sentiments.
Can you tell me more about ETFs
I can tell you more about ETFs. ETFs are exchange-traded funds, which are a type of investment product that allows you to buy or sell a basket of securities on an exchange, just like a stock.
ETFs can track various types of assets, such as stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, or even strategies. ETFs are popular because they offer diversification, low costs, liquidity, and transparency.
Some of the benefits of ETFs are,
Diversificatio,
ETFs can help you diversify your portfolio by giving you exposure to a broad range of markets, sectors, industries, or themes. For example, if you want to invest in the Indian economy, you can buy an ETF that tracks the NIFTY 50 index, which consists of 50 large and well-established companies in India.
Or if you want to invest in the global technology sector, you can buy an ETF that tracks the NASDAQ 100 index, which includes some of the most innovative and influential tech companies in the world.
Low costs,
ETFs typically have lower fees and expenses than actively managed mutual funds, because they do not require a fund manager to select and trade the underlying securities. ETFs also have lower transaction costs than buying individual stocks or bonds, because you only pay one commission fee per trade, instead of multiple fees for each security. Additionally, ETFs may have lower tax implications than mutual funds, because they generate fewer capital gains distributions.
Liquidity,
ETFs are traded on an exchange throughout the day, which means you can buy or sell them at any time during market hours. You can also use various order types, such as market orders, limit orders, stop orders, or margin orders, to execute your trades according to your preferences.
The price of an ETF is determined by the supply and demand of the market participants, and it usually reflects the value of the underlying assets.
Transparency,
ETFs disclose their holdings and performance on a daily basis, which means you can easily see what securities or assets they own and how they are performing. You can also compare the price of an ETF with its net asset value (NAV), which is the total value of its assets divided by the number of shares outstanding.
The difference between the price and the NAV is called the premium or discount, and it indicates how closely the ETF tracks its underlying index or asset.
Some of the drawbacks of ETFs are
Tracking error,
Tracking error is the difference between the return of an ETF and the return of its underlying index or asset. Tracking error can occur due to various factors, such as fees and expenses, rebalancing frequency, sampling methods, market conditions, or corporate actions.
A high tracking error means that the ETF is not replicating its benchmark accurately, and it may result in lower returns or higher risks for investors.
Market risk,
Market risk
Is the risk of losing money due to fluctuations in the market prices of securities or assets. Market risk affects all types of investments, including ETFs.
The value of an ETF can go up or down depending on the performance of its underlying index or asset. For example, if the NIFTY 50 index drops by 10%, an ETF that tracks it will also drop by 10%. Therefore, investors should be aware of the market trends and conditions that affect their chosen ETFs.
Liquidity risk,
Liquidity risk is the risk of not being able to buy or sell an investment quickly or easily at a fair price. Liquidity risk can affect some ETFs more than others, depending on their popularity, trading volume, bid-ask spread, and market maker activity.
A low-liquidity ETF may have a wider bid-ask spread (the difference between the highest price someone is willing to pay and the lowest price someone is willing to sell), which means it may cost more to buy or sell it. A low-liquidity ETF may also have a higher premium or discount (the difference between its price and its NAV), which means it may deviate more from its underlying value.