This article from Tocqueville Asset Management is a must to read for anyone interested in the role gold plays in the investment portfolio of the public and of the Contrarian. It is simply one of the best articles written on the matter:
Is gold a “bubble” because it has now become popular or is there still worthwhile upside? As a contrarian, it is more difficult to reconcile the metal’s recent popularity with the prospect of future rewards. Is the investment consensus always wrong, or can it be right for extended periods? Does the perceived flood of new investment mean the jig is up?
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The effect of four digit gold has been magical on investment psychology. Day after day, the financial media publishes glowing reports on the metal’s prospects while never failing to trash the beleaguered U.S. greenback. Hardly a day passes when I do not receive another meticulously researched, solemn tome on the merits of gold written by a market strategist or hedge fund manager. My office has stacks of them, all basically saying the same thing: paper currencies are bad so buy gold. In the parlance of the contrarian, gold is no longer a “thin file” investment idea.
Read on by downloading the article from Tocqueville.