Germany is world champion in per-capita gold investments
News Arnulf Hinkel – 13.10.2017
The financial crisis in 2008 triggered fears among investors around the world that they might lose their assets, which they had believed to be safe in the form of securities. Like many other nations, Germans increasingly invested their savings in gold. This trend has continued despite the DAX soaring in recent years and reached its peak in 2016: last year, every German bought 1.5 grams of gold on average, more than twice as much as the Chinese, and three times as much as Indians, the traditional gold nations.
A recent analysis by the World Gold Council, based on representative surveys, explains why: German investors acquire gold primarily to secure their assets; only one in four seeks to generate profits. The fact that Germans prefer to purchase gold in the form of bars or coins is only logical. This decision, too, is driven by security aspects. However, the purchase of gold ETCs has increased dramatically in recent years and also peaked in 2016: 110 million tonnes of physical gold were purchased, but also some 80 million tonnes in gold funds.
The undisputed market leader in gold ETCs is Xetra-Gold, which is not only 100% backed by physical gold, but also offers investors the option of delivery of physical gold equalling their Xetra-Gold securities at any time. This makes Xetra-Gold just as safe as gold bars, but the ETC has proven much more convenient and cheaper when it comes to buying or selling, which also caters to investors’ main objective – to protect their assets. Xetra-Gold is not subject to a fund management fee, and investors merely incur a custody fee for the deposited gold bars, which is considerably cheaper than an individual solution would be. However, investors interested in the delivery of physical gold should inform themselves about the cost that arise with the process.