Tag Archives: portfolio diversification

Diversification allows us to either reduce risk for the same level of expected return or increase expected returns for the same level of risk and below are arguments for diversifying across stocks, across countries, and across asset classes.

The traditional view of portfolio management is that three asset classes, stocks, bonds and cash, are sufficient to achieve diversification. This view is, quite simply, wrong because over the past 10 years gold, silver and platinum have singularly outperformed virtually all major widely accepted investment indexes. Precious metals should be considered an independent asset class and an allocation to precious metals, as the most uncorrelated asset group, is essential for proper portfolio diversification.

While gold has traditionally been seen as a tactical way to help preserve wealth during market corrections, times of geopolitical stress or persistent dollar weakness, we think there is a case to be made for gold as a core diversifying asset with a long-term strategic role in multi-asset portfolios...as gold’s historically low or negative correlation with most other asset classes argues in its favor...This article looks at how gold-backed assets have behaved over time as a portfolio diversifier, tail risk hedge and inflation hedge.

While it is unclear what impact the next few interest rate hikes will have on the real economy the long term impact is a different story. A more active Fed may have an enormous impact on how investors build portfolios, a development we contemplate in this article.

Investors are paying more and more attention to how certain strategies, asset classes or investments perform over shorter and shorter time frames, constantly looking for the best or worst performing sector/smart beta style/ETF/hedge fund/portfolio strategy during the latest two day or even two month sell-off or rebound. That’s not how you build a long-lasting portfolio. This article discusses some of the misconceptions about diversification.

While the correlation between bonds and stocks tends to increase during economic turmoil, gold usually becomes negatively correlated with other asset classes in such times. This means that the diversification benefits of gold are maintained and may even increase in during severe crises. Let me explain further and provide some caveats.

Although not perfect (nothing is), gold has a tendency to go up in the face of external shocks...[and] tends to have a low and sometimes negative correlation to US equities. As such, with stocks up, gold being down is not a terrible outcome for the investor using gold as a diversifier. Let me explain further below.

Regardless of the size of your financial pyramid, without a core-holding foundation, you are building it on sand. Core holdings are for protection, not for profit. They function as insurance against a catastrophe. [Let me explain.] Words: 754

Gold is back in vogue. After spending much of the past three decades in the doldrums, gold is stirring and is generating great interest. Investors can be persuaded to buy equities, property and bonds without much convincing... [but] gold is different. They need to be convinced as to why they should own a precious metal that has little apparent utility. [Below we] will explain why owning gold is not only a prudent and intelligent idea, but that it is imperative to protect oneself through the most extreme uncertainty we have faced for generations. Words: 2101