2019 marked the best performance for the precious metals complex in nearly a decade. Gold bullion closed the year at $1,517 (gaining 18.31% for the 12 months). Silver bullion ended the year at $17.85 (up 15.23% in 2019). Platinum climbed 21.56% in 2019, and palladium soared 54.24%. Gold mining equities showed notable strength, finishing 2019 up 46.97% as measured by Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM).
A two month bitcoin rally has reignited the gold-versus-bitcoin debate. We view such either-or comparisons of gold and bitcoin as somewhat specious, because we see little commonality between the two assets. Gold continues to function as a reliable store of value and productive portfolio-diversifying asset. In contrast, bitcoin continues to augment its reputation as a highly erratic speculation. Bitcoin’s investment merits, at least to date, have proven distinctly different from gold’s portfolio utility.
The reports of gold’s death at the hands of cryptocurrencies seems to have been greatly exaggerated. We’ve warned investors about the instability of the cryptocurrency market and the false equivalency with gold over the past two years. New data validates our concerns.
Sprott Asset Management CEO John Ciampaglia examines the relative merits of gold and cryptocurrencies as these two alternatives to traditional fiat currencies duke it out in the “monetary” boxing ring of investor sentiment.
Sprott Asset Management’s Edward Coyne and Trey Reik explain the differences between gold and bitcoin. They discuss how gold still holds great importance in an investment portfolio, and how bitcoin may not be a safe investment choice.
Senior Portfolio Manager Trey Reik addresses the explosion of interest in cryptocurrencies, especially bitcoin. He attributes the growing interest in digital currencies to a concern shared by many gold investors: resentment over the financially repressive policies of global central banks. But the investment merits of gold and bitcoin are substantially different.
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