Russians who bought gold bars were at a big loss

Everyone has his own grief: some have an empty stew, others have small pearls. So part of the Russians is in great sadness: they want to buy investment gold bullions in banks, and there are interruptions with them – they are not on sale. A rare social phenomenon in modern times is a deficit. Supply is not keeping up with demand. But is such a golden boom justified, which suddenly arose among Russian investors?

Only for the period from March to August, the Russians bought 12 tons of gold bars of the purest 999th test, the demand in recent months has soared by as much as 350%. The rush demand of the population led to the fact that the Central Bank already in mid-March stopped buying bullion from commercial banks.

Actually, the “gold rush” in the country was created by the government. When the ruble almost halved in March of this year, the authorities began to agitate Russians with savings to invest in gold. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said directly that it is an “ideal alternative” to the dollar, since the American currency is volatile and unstable, subject to various risks.

In order to interest citizens in buying investment bars, in March the government abolished the payment of VAT at a rate of 20%, and since June the buyer no longer paid a 13% income tax. Everything turned out that the best investments for saving their savings (who, of course, had them) could not be.

But in fact, gold turned out to be even more insidious and volatile financial instrument than the US currency. Judge for yourself: in March, at the peak of sales, one gram cost more than 7.5 thousand rubles. As banking practice shows, the precious metal was bought up like hot cakes, even … 100-kilogram bars sold with a bang. And today, this very gram of the 999th test costs an average of 3230 rubles. That is, “reliable” gold has fallen in price more than twice in 7 months. And if we take from the beginning of this year, then by 25%. The alternative to “hard currency” in the form of dollars or euros turned out to be, frankly, so-so.

Financial market analysts note other disadvantages of investing in gold. Banks, as a rule, redeem those ingots that they themselves sold. This is first. And secondly, at a price 15-20 percent below the rate set by the regulator. That is, if you bought one gram of gold in March (such measured bars are also sold) for 7.5 thousand rubles, then today you will sell at best for 3 thousand rubles – and only in the same bank.

In addition, gold bars do not bring passive income to the owner – unlike stocks, bonds or bank deposits. Here he just lies to himself, sparkles and that’s it – no interest or dividends for you. Moreover, it should not be “turned over” once again: a slight damage, an almost invisible scratch will drastically reduce its sale price.

Nevertheless, probably due to inertia, more or less wealthy Russians continue to storm banks and stand in a long line to order. To acquire a “golden brick”, you must first order “your own weight”. Measured investment bars are produced from 1 gram to 1 kilogram.

Alas and ah: the factories producing gold bars do not have enough production capacity. To such a stir from the population. Which has been observed in recent months, obviously no one expected …

But the plants are okay – they will not be lost! And what can people hope for – those who bought their “golden happiness” in March at the maximum price? When do these investments have a chance to “fight back”? We asked a financial analyst, candidate of economic sciences Mikhail Belyaev about this.

– Gold is only considered an eternal value, but, as Marx said, gold fetishism blinds the eye, – said the expert. – This metal is unstable in its price, besides it has low liquidity. It is necessary to invest in it for a long period of time: for 10, 15, 20 years. Or when you are interested not so much in profitability as in safety. But even here, not everything is so simple: you will have to pay money for storage in a bank cell.

Most often, the owner caresses the very idea that he has a powerful financial backing. And to believe that this is an eternal value that only grows in price and there are no more worries is a deep delusion.

– Maybe for those who have a great weakness for gold, it is better to invest in rings, earrings, brooches or rings?

– It’s even worse. You can buy something that is an antique or jewelry value. But in this case, you will have, firstly, to look for an expert who would give the right advice. And if you sell such an exclusive, then a connoisseur of beauty, who could also pay. It is not so easy! And if you buy ordinary consumer goods, you can not count on the sale … After all, you buy some kind of artistic product – brooches, rings, earrings. And you will probably have to sell just at the price of scrap. As one classic said, the heaviest chains in the world are gold…