As the designated manufacturer and marketer of the Krugerrand, Rand Refinery is often asked why one should invest in gold at all. Gold has been trusted since antiquity as having an enduring intrinsic value.  This much coveted metal has represented class and status and dictated the destinies of those who held it and those who didn’t. Today many people across the globe keep gold as a form of insurance against the unexpected or as a “safe haven”.

1) Gold is internationally recognised and trusted as a store of value

• Gold is a hard asset with a generally recognised intrinsic value.
• Unlike paper currencies, its value is unaffected by the actions of governments, organizations and individuals and hence it cannot be devalued or inflated by government decree.

2) Gold is easily valued worldwide

• Gold’s value is expressed in terms of US Dollars and hence can easily be established and monitored on financial exchanges 24 hrs per day.

3) Gold is internationally tradable

• Gold can be bought and sold through various outlets, including securities exchanges, worldwide.

4) Gold is portable

• Through location ‘swaps’, gold can be easily transferred to many locations on the international markets without being physically shipped.

5) Gold is coveted

• It is one of the scarcest and most sought after metals in the world. Only 150 000 tons has ever been mined and the total store is increasing by less than 2% per year.

6) Gold is an effective risk management tool

• It can be used to hedge against the unexpected as it is immune to local currency devaluations and collapse. It can be used to protect against volatile stock market investments and is easily transferable.