Opinion piece, Gold impacted by panic buying

Some finance experts in Simpsonville said they’ve seen a surge in people investing in gold. They said it follows fears over the economy slowing. 

Co-owner of JEHM Wealth and Retirement Eric Lahaie told 7NEWS the value of gold has increased by more than 30 percent in the last six months. He emphasized that it is largely because of panic buying.

“The appreciation is all that you’re going to get out of it. It doesn’t produce a dividend. It doesn’t generate interest like a stock, or a bond will do. So, you don’t get that advantage. And then, as I said earlier, it kind of moves in big jumps, and then flattens out for a long time,” said Lahaie. 

“If you buy it in a brokerage account, when you sell gold, your gains are taxed at your ordinary income up to 28 percent,” Lahaie also said. “Versus, if you sell stock, as long-term capital gain, you’re going to be taxed somewhere between 15 and 20 percent on the high end. So, that’s kind of a disadvantage for gold.” 

Source – KOLR Springfield