Wednesday 21 August 2019

Reasons Why You Should Invest in Silver

There are several reasons to add silver to your investment profile - most important one is because the price will go up. Here are top reasons why everyone planning to make some investments should buy silver bullion.

It Is Real Money

Though silver is not part of any currency, it is still money and by real money we mean physical silver not certificates or future contracts or EFTs. Paper investments do not carry the similar benefits. If you hold physical silver, there is no counterparty risk as another party is not required to make contract or promise. This doesn’t go with bonds, stocks or any other virtual investment. Moreover there is no default risk on silver and it can be used as long term money.

It Is Hard Asset

In this digital trading, currency creation and paper profits world, physical silver is an exception and it is among few assets that can be carried in pocket anywhere round the world. is also a tangible hedge against all forms of hacking and cyber crime.


It Is Cheap

For the average investor silver is much more affordable and yet stands as a precious metal which helps in maintaining living standard as good as gold. Those who cannot afford to buy gold can opt for silver to hold some precious metals. 


It Is More Practical For Small Purchases

It is not just economical to buy silver bars or coins but it is more practical while to resell it. As it comes in smaller units than gold, it can be sold according to the need of the time. Also it is important to note that silver bars and coins can be sold anywhere virtually anywhere in the world.


Industrial Use of Silver Is Growing

Silver is used in almost all major industries including electronics, medical applications, solar panels and batteries. Whether you see it or not silver is everywhere. It is most electronically as well as thermally conductive and reflective. Due to these features, the number of industrial applications for silver has skyrocketed.


Global Demand Is Growing

World demand for silver is growing. Virtually all major government mints have seen record levels of sales with most already operating at peak production. Surging demand is nowhere more evident than India and China. These two giant markets have long histories of cultural affinity toward precious metals. And with their populations growing, their tremendous appetite will continue.

Monday 8 July 2019

Ways to Sell Silver and Gold


Where and how to sell your silver and gold?


Anybody who plans to sell silver or gold bullion definitely likes to get the best available price. Perhaps you might have been investing in precious metals for several years and now you think it’s time unload some of your valuable collection. Here’s a guide to help you make your transaction as smooth as possible.

Whenever you think is the right times to sell your gold or silver consider these three primary factors – convenience, price & safety. Let’s take a look at the few topics while considering how these factors will come into existence.

• What will be the fair price for your metals?


Here are some of the factors that help you identify how much you could possibly receive when you sell your gold or silver.

1. Type Of Bullion You Are Selling


Some precious metals holds great demand more value in the market. Aspects like whether it is gold or silver, a bar or a coin, a private or government mint product and the condition of the item, all play a great role in its resale value. 


2. Selling Silver & Gold Coins


Coins, whether gold or silver usually hold their value well through resale as sovereign (government) coins are recognised universally as legal tender, they can be resold without delay. Given this high liquidity, coins generally have a higher resale value than rounds. 


3. Selling gold and silver bars


You can count on high resale value when you sell silver bars or gold bars, especially if you have kept them in the professional vault storage. Bullion bars have the strongest resale value if they are manufactured by the reputable refineries and mints. As these bars are marked typically with a seal of mint of origin and sometimes include a serial number for easy certification and identification.


4. Selling Gold/Silver Jewellery


Unlike bars and coins your gold and silver jewellery doesn’t usually get the good resale value. This is because most of the jewellery items include an alloy in addition to the other decorative pieces. It’s value is more subjective since it is not pure silver or gold.

Where to sell your gold and silver?


Once you decide to sell some of your gold or silver stock, you must find out a right place to get the best price. Here are the two common sale locations:

• Local Pawn Shop


Pawn shops usually offer lowest return on investment and you typically do not have any room for negotiation and you’ll receive almost far below then a reputable dealer would offer. If you choose to sell gold bars, coins or silver bars, coins, knowing how to sell in a pawn shop will get you the best price. Make sure you compare the buyback prices of other dealers as well as take a note of the current spot price of gold and silver beforehand.

• Online


Selling your precious metals online can prove to be more effective as online dealers offer better prices than local pawn shops. Hence we recommend you to sell gold bars to fetch better return on your investment.

Monday 24 June 2019

Tips to Buy Gold Bullion bars/Coins

Among the several ways to invest in gold like gold stocks, exchange traded funds; the simplest way is to buy physical gold or bullion. Though what is the best way to invest in bullion? Have a look at the options mentioned below.
What should you buy – bars or coins?
Bullion can be bought mainly in two forms – bars or coins. Gold coins allow you to be more flexible over bars as it is easier to sell 10% of your gold coins if you have 20 gold coins rather than the entire gold bar. Though if you wish to make an investment in sizeable amount than gold bullion bars will make more sense.

How to Buy?
If you are planning to buy gold coins or bars cost is the key thing to consider. Dealers of gold make the most out of their money by buying for less and selling at higher rates than the market price. The difference though depends widely on the type and quality of bullion you buy as well as who you purchase it from & the state of current demand and supply.

You will get worst deals from gold vending machines and the bars now popping up in the shopping centres.

Hong Kong is acknowledged widely as the cheapest place to buy gold coins. Queens’s road at central district in Hong Kong has some of the well known banks such as HSBC who provide coins for as low as 0.2% over the premium. If you are in UK, don’t wish to travel all the way to Hong Kong, the best option for you is to buy from established European or British dealers. It’s better to transact with large and well known firms with good track record.

Buy gold online and get a secured store
The main problem that comes with buying physical gold is that you have to look after it and store it securely. There is a great alternative for this very problem and that is to buy gold bullion online through a reputed website and instead of taking the delivery get it stored conveniently for you. One of the best known is Bullion for Less. It offers the free secure storage for 1 Year on all your purchases through the website. All you have to do is select the 'Storage' option while placing the order. It carries out a regular audit of its holdings and also lets you take the physical delivery of your purchase if you wish so.

Successful investment is about the management of risk and diversification. It makes sense to have a part of your wealth invested in gold.

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Investing in Precious and Industrial Metals

You’ll be surprised by knowing the scrap metal’s worth. Everything from wires and cables to fridge motors, old alloy wheels, etc can be sold for cash to a dealer of scrap metal. Here cash is in figurative sense as these days it is illegal to sell scrap metal in cash. However some common items can make you a tidy electronic payment.

If you deal with scarp regularly or just doing some renovations at home, then listed below are the items to look out for.


Most valuable metals

The price of different scrap metals keep on fluctuating with time and hence it is difficult to give a general price for them. Though in general the most valuable metals besides of course gold, silver & platinum are; steal, lead aluminium, titanium, brass and copper bar.



Among these copper leads the pile, so hang on to it rather than taking it down the tip.


Where to find them?

Here are a few things you must look out for while hunting scrap:

Steel

Several items contain steel making it ripe for the scrap for the scrap. Beams, pipes, hangers and ladders may all contain steel. Keep a specific watch out for the precious stainless steel especially in the kitchen – old cutlery, parts of old fridge and even catering equipments can be worth well scrapping. 


Lead

Once lead used to be very common, however is not the case now due to the high health risks involved. Though, batteries such as of car still contain lead. 


Aluminium

Aluminium can be found in awnings, signs, sidings, gutters and several other building materials. Due to its light weight it is also used in electronics. So anything intact that cannot be resold can be sold for scrap. Furniture made of metal also contains aluminium such as chairs, tables and lamps. Other good sources of aluminium bar are satellite dishes and television antennae.


Titanium

This lightweight yet strong metal is not common but can be found in electronics. Due to its properties it also used regularly for sporting equipments such as golf clubs or bikes etc. If they cannot be sold as they are, they’re worth scrapping.


Brass

Doorknobs, lamp fittings and taps may contain brass. It is often used in plumbing components such as pipes and dishwashers. Mechanical gears and bearings may also contain brass. 


Copper

Copper always gets a good price as scrap. If you have copper pipe or wires left from an electrical or plumbing job then you can take it to a scrap dealer and can get a good amount out of it. Building gutters and old boilers are often made of copper while you can find copper wires in everything from dishwashers, to washing machine, computers, blenders, cameras and much more.

Wednesday 24 April 2019

Things You Must Know Before Buying Silver Bullion

In this article you will know about silver bullion in detail and its three different tiers in the marketplace including the demand, liquidity and premiums of each type of products.

You might be a little confused about what comprises silver bullion if you are new to silver investment. You must have come across contradictory information online, so here we have explained about silver bullion to clear your doubts. According to the generally accepted belief in the bullion and coin industry, silver bullion is privately produced .999 fine silver in the form of coins, ingots and bars.



In our opinion, which is the widely accepted opinion in the coin and bullion industry, silver bullion is privately produced .999 fine silver in the form of silver bars, rounds and ingots. 

The most common form of silver bullion is in the form of one ounce silver bars and rounds, but many other sizes are available, including 5 ounce, 10 ounce, 25 ounce, 50 ounce, 100 ounce and even 1,000 ounce bars! While all silver bullion is produced by private mints or producers of silver, three different levels or tiers of silver bullion exist, which we’ll discuss next. The most commonly available silver bullion is in the form of 1 ounce silver coins and bars, but several other sizes are available including 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and even 1000 ounce bars. All these silver bullion's are produced by silver producers or private mints.

Premium Silver Bullion


Premium silver bullion bars are produced by most trustworthy, popular and recognised industry producers. Due to the notoriety and popularity of the recognised producers you might have to pay higher premium for these items.  

Generally, these can be purchased at a little lower price otherwise, however prices are often on par with the coins issued by the government. If you are in doubt that whether you should buy silver bullion or silver coin issued by the government at same price, we would suggest you to go for government issued coin. Implied guarantee, purity and the exact weight as mentioned in the specifications is the reason we recommend you to opt for coins issued by the government. 

Brand Bullion


Silver bullion produced by a recognised and established mining company or mint fall under brand bullion. There are several different brand silver bullion producers who stamp their logo and name on the bullion they produce in order to be easily identified. The popularity of brand bullion is not as much as the premium silver bullion but the market of these is quite liquid. 

Hence the premium of these brand bullion is also comparatively lower. The price of the silver bars  and coins tend to be the same as the interest level for the two forms of silver bullion is same. The silver bullion premiums is almost half of the silver eagles premium, however this is subject to change based on the demand and supply at the time of the purchase.

Generic Bullion 


Who doesn't like to bargain? This is what you you can do when you buy generic bullion. These run the gamut from popular images such as lion of England, silver bars and coins with the images of famous people, holidays, famous events in UK, history etc. As generic silver bullion is not as recognisable as premium and brand bullion it is important to do thorough research before you buy these items.





Monday 25 March 2019

How to Buy And Invest in Gold?

Buying and investing in gold has been a financial support system traditionally over years.

What are the Gold Buying Options in UK? 


You can buy gold either in physical or on paper. Physically you can buy gold coins, in the form of gold bullion, bars and jewellery and on papers one can buy EFT’s (gold exchange traded funds) and SGB’s (sovereign gold bonds). Other available options are gold mutual funds, one that invests in EFT’s and another in the international gold mining companies shares. 

Gold Jewellery



Owning gold in the form of jewellery has been a traditional trend. However possessing jewellery form of gold have certain issues like high costs, safety and of course the designs that get changed every now and then so it quickly becomes outdated. Besides all these, making charges are also very high.

Gold Coins



One can buy gold coins from jewellery stores, banks, finance companies and even the e-commerce websites. Depending on personal requirements and the amount one wish to invest there are 5 & 10 grams of coins available or if you like to invest more you can buy gold bullion which can measure as high as 20 grams. 

Gold bars & coins typically are of 24 karat purity and come in temper proof packaging. They’ll be hallmarked according to the BIS standards. Recognized Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) outlets, specified post offices and bank branches provide these coins. MMTC even offers buy back option for gold coins through its showrooms nationwide. 

Saving Schemes of Gold



There are two types of gold saving schemes: one that allows you to deposit a fixed amount for the chosen tenure every month. On the completion of the tenure you can buy gold from the same jeweller for the value equal to the total money deposited including bonus amount. The conversion is done at the prevailing price of gold on maturity.  Another option is investing in paper gold EFT’s. These investments occur on stock exchange (BSE or NSE) with gold as fundamental asset. Even the high initial buying and selling charges that goes into possessing jewellery, coins or bars gives an extra edge on the low cost EFT. Price transparency is another advantage.

All you need is a demat account and trading account with a stock broker. You may buy either in lump sum or through SIP at regular intervals. There are no entry or exit charges; however there are three costs that come with EFTs. 1>>Expense ratio for managing the fund, 2>> broker cost- every time you buy or sell gold EFT units and 3>> technically not a charge but impact returns. It occurs due to the fund expenses & cash holdings therefore not reflecting actual gold price. 

Another way of possessing paper gold is Sovereign Gold Bond. 

Decide whether you want to invest in gold for the purpose of a wedding or purely of investment. For investments you should not have more than 10% of the total portfolio in gold. Depending on how comfortable you are managing investments online choose between gold SGBs and EFTs and keep concerns like security & purity aside.

Monday 25 February 2019

Learn How to Invest in Silver the Right Way

The market of silver has been turbulent over the past two decades, with an enormous bull market that existed all through most of the 2000s & early 2010s providing way to a huge pull back in the recent years. 

Now though, some consider silver, an investment that can benefit from industrial demand, especially if fresh stock gets constrained by low prices. Yet several individuals don’t know how to buy silver bars and/or why investing in it can be profitable. 



By getting an understanding of how to invest in silver, you will be able to decide whether it is the right move or not.


Buy Actual Silver

The best way to invest in silver is to buy the actual metal. Silver bullion is available in bar and coin form and most precious metal and coin dealers will proffer silver bullion in several formats & sizes. Generally, one can find bars and coins as tiny as single ounce or big bars as large as thousand ounces.

Owning bullion of silver has the benefit of having its worth track the market value of silver directly.


Buy Silver Exchange-Traded Funds (ETF) 

For dealers, ETF’s that themselves posses silver provide an effective replacement to own bullion directly. Each portion of silver Exchange traded-fund matches to a certain amount of silver and the cost of Exchange-Traded Fund shares typically track silver costs fairly close. Like any ETF or mutual fund, Silver ETF’s have fees that get charged to shareholders, though they are quite modest.

The Exchange-Traded Fund shares lets you participate in the general activity of silver market.


Mining Stocks of Silver

Other way to invest in silver via stock market is by purchasing shares of silver mining businesses. The value of silver mining stocks usually rise when the prices of silver bullion go up & drop when silver performs badly. In terms of percentage mining stocks go up by several times when the given price of silver bullion increases.


Streaming Companies of Silver

Finally, an investor can choose to invest in the shares of silver streaming companies. These are the companies that don’t operate mining business themselves rather provide finance to miners to get back royalty or streaming interest on their production.  Generally, streaming organizations can purchase silver bullion from their mining partners at a small amount of the present market value, offering them a way to get paid back & earn a profit from their capital. Therefore the stock of streaming companies rise and drop with silver prices; however they are also affected by the financing deals quality they can arrange.


What is the Right Kind of Silver Investment for You?

The best investment in silver depends on the needs of an individual. Silver ETF’s or physical bullion work well with those who want best exposure to silver just as a commodity, with a choice depending on whether you wish to keep the actual metal for a long period or trade in & out.

For those looking for a return, mining stocks are more notional, while streaming stocks provide greater income and more stability. 

Investing in silver bullion is not for everyone. However, if you have faith that market will eventually grow, then investing in the companies that have huge exposure to silver can give you the greatest profits if your belief turns out to be true.


In Addition, If you want to know more about gold, silver and other precious metals. Then click on the following links: