Semua orang Islam wajib beriman dengan kemunculan Hari Akhirat. Ia terkandung di dalam rukan Iman dan mana-mana Muslim yang tidak mempercayainya, maka imannya pastilah tidak lengkap. Percaya pada Hari Akhirat adalah rukun Iman ke-5. Dalam menuju ke Hari Akhirat, kita diberi tanda-tanda kecil dan besar hari bagi tujuan persediaan.

Biasa dengar kemunculan Dajjal, turunya Nabi Isa A.S, yang mana akan muncul dahulu. Kerana kedua-dua akan turun ke bumi. Jika diamati, Dajjal akan dibunuh oleh Nabi Isa A.S. di Israel. Jadi Dajjal itulah yang akan turun dahulu. Tetapi apakah kaitannya semua itu dengan wang kertas dan juga emas? Wang kertas dan emas adalah matawang. Hari ini kita guna wang kertas, dahulu guna emas.

Zaman Dahulu

Zaman dahulu, semua negara menggunakan emas. Ramainya manusia menggunakan emas adalah sama seperti mana ramainya manusia menggunakan wang kertas pada hari ini. Emas dipilih kerana ia mempunyai nilai semulajadi. Emas sememangnya disukai oleh semua orang suka di seluruh dunia ini. Cuba lihat sukan SUKMA baru-baru ini di Lembah Klang, atau sukan Olimpik, apakah yang dikejar-kejar oleh para atlit? Pingat apa?

Mengapa mereka tidak dikalungkan dengan kalungan wang kertas? Adakah kita tahu berapa lama sukan Olimpik diadakan? Sukan Olimpik ialah sukan antarabangsa yang diadakan setiap empat tahun. Sukan ini bermula dari Yunani Purba, dihidupkan semula oleh seorang bangsawan Perancis bernama Pierre de Coubertin pada akhir abda ke-19. Asal sukan Olimpik tidak lagi diketahui tetapi banyak lagenda tertulis bersama sama sukan ini. Sambutan pertama Sukan Olimpik yang direkodkan adalah pada 776 SM, walaupun tarikh ini bukanlah kali pertama Sukan Olimpik diadakan. Pada masa itu, hanya satu acara dipertandingkan. Sejak itu, sukan mula menjadi penting dalam Yunani Purba dan mencapai kegemilangannya pada abad ke-6 dan ke-5 sebelum Masihi. Olimpik juga mempunyai kepentingan agama iaitu sebagai penghormatan kepada Zeus (patung besarnya ada di bandar Olympia). Pemenang sukan ini akan dihormati dan dimasukkan ke dalam puisi dan dijadikan patung. Sukan ini semakin hilang kepentingannya dengan penaklukan Rom ke atas Yunani (sekarang dikenali sebagai Greece). Apabila Kristian menjadi agama rasmi Empayar Rom, Sukan Olimpik dilihat festival orang tidak beragama (pagan) dan pada 393, Maharaja Theodosius mengharamkan Olimpik, dan ini menandakan berhentinya sukan Olimpik selama ribuan tahun sehinggalah diadakan semula pada abad ke-19.

Tidak cukup dengan itu, lihat sultan-sultan Melayu hari ini, apakah yang sultan-sultan kita pakai? Emas tidak akan jatuh nilainya, kerana emas tetap emas. Ia memiliki nilai emasnya yang tersendiri yang tidak ada pada kertas. Seperti wang kertas, ia dicipta untuk menjadi wang yang ditentukan nilainya oleh manusia.

Allah S.W.T sebagai jurutera pencipta manusia tentulah tahu apa yang terbaik untuk ciptaannya. Hari ini, kita tolak emas sebagai wang. Kita terima wang kertas. Wang kertas jika dikaji asal-usulnya, ia hanyalah surat hutang yang mewakili jumlah emas. Sejak zaman dahulu sememangnya kerajaan-kerajaan di dunia menggunakan emas sebagai wang. Para penjajah pun menggunakan emas sebagai matawang. Siapakah yang pernah menjajah negara kita?

Portugis, Belanda, British (United Kingdom), Jepun dan Siam (Thailand). Tak kiralah negara mana pun yang menjajah kita dahulu. Mereka semua menggunakan matawang emas.

(Kerajaan Siam)

(Kerajaan Jepun)

(Kerajaan Portugis)

(Kerajaan British)

(Kerajaan Belanda)

(Kerajaan Kelantan)

(Kerajaan Johor)

Tapi mengapa mereka semua bertukar pada wang kertas? Jawapannya ialah kerana kerajaan mereka mengalami masalah kewangan. Mana tidaknya, wang emas itu habis digunakan bagi tujuan berperang. Kepulauan Melayu bergolak dengan penjajahan demi penjajahan. Sehingga tulisan Jawi kita jua dijajah menjadi tulisan Rumi (Roman) seperti yang huruf-huruf yang anda sedang baca sekarang ini. Sehingga juga ada warga veteran yang masih hafal lagu negara Jepun.

Apakah banyak wang terlibat dalam peperangan. Oh! Sudah tentu. Siapa tukang bina kapal? Siapa tukang kimpal? Siapa tukang jahit layar kapal? Siapa jurumudi kapal? Siapa buruh kasar kapal? Siapa jururawat di kapal? Siapa pengawal di kapal? Siapa tukang senjata di kapal? Siapa tukang masak di kapal? Siapa dan siapa? Jadi wang kerajaan sesebuah negara itu habis dek peperangan. Wang ketika itu ialah emas dan perak. Ia tidak boleh diulang-cetak. Ia sangat unik. Hari ini, kerajaan Amerika Syarikat turut mengalami benda yang sama. Mereka kerugian kerana peperangan. Peperangan cara sekarang lebih banyak melibatkan wang. Bom-bom berkuasa hebat, teknologi canggih dan lain-lain.



Taktik Penjajah

Jadi semasa para penjajah kehabisan wang emas dan perak. Jadi penjajah ini mula menggunakan kertas sebagai ganti kepada emas. Rakyat jelata disuruh bekerja atau pun berkhidmat. Tetapi rakyat jelata tadi tidak diberikan emas.

(Lihat perkataan promises to pay the bearer on demand)

Perkataan tersebut jika diterjemahkan, ia bermaksud "janji-janji untuk bayar si penanggung beban atas tuntutan". Katakan anda orang Melayu yang menjual goreng pisang ketika itu, anda dapat kertas ini. Anda kemudiannya boleh menukarkannya kepada wang. Wang ketika itu ialah emas. Jadi kertas ini bersandarkan kepada emas. Hari ini? Tidak lagi. Wang kertas tidak lagi di sandarkan pada emas. Buktinya? Kita akan lihat nilai wang kertas ini semakin menjunam. Ia akan mengalami inflasi dan spekulasi. Manusia boleh mainkan nilai wang kertas itu. Ia tidak sama halnya dengan emas. Kerana emas mempunyai nilai tetap di dalamnya terkandung berat, karat, saiz dan lain-lain.

Berbalik pada cerita penjajah tadi. Apakah kertas tadi boleh diterima oleh rakyat jelata? Apakah mereka tidak marah? Mereka marah dan tak suka orang berhutang dan memberikan selain daripada emas kepada mereka. Maka dari situ British pun mencantikkan kertas mereka seperti yang kita dapat saksikan di bawah ini:-

Dengan kertas ini rakyat jelata boleh mendapatkan emas mereka. Rakyat jelata menjadi tenang apabila terpampang gambar pemimpin British di kertas itu. Kononnya penjajah serius menjaga kebajikan rakyat jelata. Tetapi pada hakikatnya ini semua hanyalah untuk meredakan kemarahan rakyat jelata atas penipuan demi penipuan.

Maka seterusnya penjajah pun saling berperang. Kerajaan Jepun pun mahu kaya. Mereka kata Asia Tenggara ini mereka yang punya. Masih ingat British lawan Jepun di Tanah Melayu? Apabila Jepun menguasai Tanah Melayu, mereka juga turut mengikut jejak langkah British. Dengan hasrat ingin untung sama seperti British untung. Maka Jepun pun mencetak kertas di bawah:-

(Kertas bergambar pokok pisang yang sering diperkatakan warga veteran kita)

Rakyat jelata tentu marah. Mereka mahukan wang sebenar iaitulah emas. Bayangkan seorang peniaga goreng pisang menjual goreng pisang, dia tidak terima langsung sebutir emas dalam setiap jualan goreng pisangnya. Bahkan dia terima pula kertas yang ada gambar pisang di atas. Mesti marah bukan? Tetapi dalam keadaan dijajah begitu, mana nak berani marah-marah?

Jika difikir, penjajah semakin untung, kerana rakyat jelata disuruh bekerja dan berkhidmat dengan hanya diberikan kertas-kertas bernombor. Semasa British digulingkan oleh Jepun, kertas-kertas British masih ada disimpan oleh ramai rakyat jelata. Kerajaan Jepun tak mahu bertanggungjawab dengan kertas-kertas British. Jadi siapa yang rugi? Tentulah rakyat jelata. Mereka kehilangan emas mereka.

Setelah itu, Kerajaan Jepun pula digulingkan oleh British. British kembali berkuasa. Tetapi kali ini mereka datang dengan mencetak kertas yang baru.


Lagi sekali rakyat jelata ditipu. Kertas-kertas terdahulu yang disimpan tidak dapat ditukarkan kepada emas. Malah tidak laku kerana British mengatakan kerajaan terdahulu dan terkemudiannya berbeza. Walau bagaimanapun kertas baru ini masih menjanjikan emas. Setelah British memasukkan Borneo ke dalam Malaya, kertas baru dicetak lagi.


Apakah bezanya dengan kertas baru ini? Kertas ini tidak lagi melibatkan emas. Emas tidak lagi diwajibkan sebagai pertukaran. Ia hanyalah kertas bernombor semata-mata. Gambar Permaisuri Elizabeth digunakan. Pada masa itu, gambar ini sudah cukup seksi untuk meredakan kemarahan rakyat. Rakyat jelata sudah ditipu dari penjajah demi penjajah dan dari penipuan demi penipuan. Ini semua melambangkan tenaga rakyat jelata boleh dikerah, diguna tanpa melibatkan sebutir emas pun. Cukup punya pandai penjajah ini. Kalau penjajah pandai, makanya rakyat jelata?

Kerajaan British amat bijak dalam melakukan persedian bagi menghadapi akibat terburuk. Maka mereka sekali lagi mencetak kertas yang baru.

(Kertas ini ada gambar pemimpin negara kita)

Cerdiknya British, mereka sanggup menggantikan gambar Permaisuri dengan pemimpin negara kita demi menghalalkan kertas ini. Rakyat jelata rata-ratanya hormat akan pemimpin sendiri. Jadi hasilnya tiadalah lagi api kemarahan rakyat. Tetapi tidakkah kita terfikir, bagaimana pemimpin kita boleh mendengar cakap British?

Mengikut sampaian orang-orang veteran, raja-raja Melayu, ulama' dan pemimpin Melayu yang tidak berpihak pada British akan dibunuh dan dibuang ke pulau-pulau kecil. Jadinya kuasa-kuasa istana dan pemimpin di parlimen yang ada pada hari ini berpihak pada siapa? Amalan jelik ini masih diteruskan oleh budak suruhan British hingga ke hari ini. Sekaligus terus-menerus menidakkan hak rakyat jelata untuk mendapatkan kembali emas kepunyaan nenek moyang mereka sejak zaman penjajah dahulu.

Ini semua akhirnya akan menjadikan kita semua, satu negara kita ini meleset dari segi ekonominya, akhlaknya dan lain-lain akibat tempias penggunaan kertas itu tadi. Satu contoh, peperangan yang berbekalkan dana emas akan berakhir apabila emas habis dibelanjakan. Ia tidak mungkin dapat dicetak lagi seperti kertas. Jadinya kezaliman dan keangkuhan pemimpin untuk terus berperang akan terbatas dengan ketiadaan emas. Tetapi hari ini, kertas boleh diulang cetak.

Mengikut kiraan ulama' Sheikh Imran Hosein pada ceramah 2007 beliau, katanya setelah kejatuhan wang dalam bentuk kertas tadi, Dajjal pun akan muncul. Kedatangan Dajjal boleh disaksikan oleh budak-budak yang sedang bersekolah hari ini. Jika kiraan ini tepat, maka Dajjal yang dikatakan lahir dari keluarga Yahudi, berambut kerinting akan memerintah dunia dari negara haram Israel dalam sedikit masa lagi.

Tambah Sheikh Imran Hosein, Dajjal akan menggunakan wang elektronik bagi menggantikan wang dalam bentuk kertas. Satu lagi penipuan secara elektronik bakal mewarnai dunia. Katanya lagi, apa yang umat Islam perlu lakukan ialah melaksanakan apa yang ada di dalam Al-Quran dan Hadith.

Oleh itu, kami menyeru kepada semua para pembaca, agar kita kembali kepada dinar (emas) dan dirham (perak) serta menghayati sistem ekonomi Islam yang popular dengan pengharaman riba'. Tidak seharusnya kita mengaku kalah dengan kedatangan Dajjal. Kerana terdapat juga proses menyambut kedatangan Nabi Isa A.S dalam menewaskan Dajjal di Israel kelak. Jadi tidak mahukah umat Islam turut serta menyambut Nabi Isa A.S?

source

Posted by Mr Thx Wednesday, October 12, 2011 0 comments

Gold has been sought after for its unique blend of near indestructibility, beauty, rarity and because of its status as a means of exchange and universal currency par excellence for centuries.
Empires and nations have sought to possess gold as a medium of international exchange, as a store of wealth and in order to increase and preserve power. Individuals have used gold as a store of wealth and as insurance against the fluctuations and depreciation of paper money and to protect against other macroeconomic and geopolitical risks.

Throughout history, perhaps no other asset in the world has had the universal appeal of gold and this appeal has increased in recent times due to the very significant macroeconomic, geopolitical, monetary and systemic risk facing our modern global financial system and economy.
Successful investing is about the diversification and management of risk. In layman's terms this means not having all your eggs in one basket. We know from history that markets can and do crash and if you are not properly diversified your nest egg can be severely affected.

So a healthy portfolio will include a wide range of assets including a variety of equities with exposures to different market sectors and regions; a variety of different countries' bonds of different durations; a diversified property portfolio; a cash component and a 5-15% allocation to gold related investments and gold bullion. In these uncertain times, caution and risk consciousness is crucially important and counterparty and systemic risk should be considered.
The key is to determine what amount of each asset class to have and to own assets that will whether the onslaught of inflation, deflation, stagflation and even hyperinflation.
Some exposure to gold should be included in all diversified portfolios. A good rule of thumb would be a minimum allocation of around 10% to gold and related gold-investments.
One's motivation for buying gold is fundamental to deciding in which form you should buy it. Are you a speculator, investor or saver? Do you wish to take a short term speculative position in gold? Are you investing for the short, medium or long term? Or are you diversifying, saving or using gold as a form of financial insurance?

Investing in physical gold

Physical gold should form a part of a properly diversified portfolio. Gold remains a universal finite currency, held by every central bank of note in the world. And central banks are set to become net buyers of gold in 2009 for the first time since 1988. The Indian Central Bank's purchase of 200 tonnes of gold from the IMF in October 2009 ( and a further 200 tonnes is being acquired) is the biggest single central bank purchase in such a short period of time (at least known to the markets) for at least 30 years.
In the same way that the family home should not be regarded as an investment, gold bullion is not an investment per se, rather a form of 'saving for a rainy day' or of financial insurance. It is to be taken possession of or stored with a secure third party and should not be traded. One does not trade an insurance policy and thus as a form of financial insurance, physical gold should not be traded.
Gold is money and is the ultimate safe haven asset and a great way, if not the best way, of ensuring wealth preservation and for passing wealth from one generation to the next. Once the solid base or core holding of gold bullion is achieved in a portfolio then other investments in gold such as mining stocks and mutual funds and other more speculative gold investments can be considered.

Modern bullion coins and bars

Modern bullion coins allow investors to own investment grade gold (between 0.90 and 0.9999 fineness) legal tender coins at a small premium to the spot price of gold as quoted on the markets. The value of bullion coins and bars is determined almost solely by the price of gold and thus follows the bullion price. Larger bars are not generally taken delivery of due to the cost of insured delivery and the security implications of having very large amounts of bullion outside the chain of integrity (say in a private residence). A London Good Delivery Bar weighs 400 troy ounces and costs over $400,000, £270,000 and €300,000 (prices as of 20/11/09) and is prohibitive in terms of cost and thus big bars are normally the preserve of large companies, institutions and central banks.
Gold, silver, and platinum are all available in the form of bullion coins, minted in the UK, the US, in Canada, South Africa, Austria, Australia, China and other countries. Most bullion coins are minted in 1/10oz, 1/4oz, 1/2oz & 1oz form (and some can be bought in 2oz, 10oz & 1 kilo). However, one ounce gold bullion coins such as Krugerrands or Britannias are by far the most popular for both small investors and high net worth individuals who see the advantages of owning legal tender bullion coins, either in their possession or in depositories, and recognise the advantages of the divisibility afforded by them.
Buying investment grade gold bullion for investment is stamp duty free and tax free (VAT exempt) in the UK and EU due to the EU Gold Directive of 2000.
Providers: Goldcore, Gold Investments Ltd, Baird, Chard, ATS Bullion

Semi-numismatic and numismatic gold coins

Numismatic or older and rare coins are bought not solely for their precious metal content but also for their rarity and their historical, aesthetic appeal. They are leveraged to the gold price which means that the price of these coins will generally surpass and increase faster than the gold price in a bull market (due to their historical and aesthetic value and to their rarity) and will decrease by more when gold is in a bear market.
The British Gold Sovereign (originally the one pound coin) is the most widely traded and owned semi-numismatic gold coin in the world. Important is the fact that, unlike the other forms of gold investment, British gold sovereigns are not subject to capital gains tax (CGT). Thus all post-1837 British gold sovereigns – because they are legal tender and have a legal tender face value - are capital gains tax free, which is obviously a significant benefit to investors vis-à-vis other gold investments.
Also highly owned are high-quality pre-1933 gold coins graded MS-65 or better by either the Professional Coin Grading Service or the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. They are bought by both collectors and investors and most opt to take possession of these older coins unless they have invested in significant quantities.
Insured delivery of bullion and numismatics is usually some 1%-2% of the total value. Insured storage of bullion and numismatic coins in an allocated account will cost some 1% per annum. Investors should choose their storage provider carefully, making sure of a high credit rating and high net worth. This leads some to prefer an offshore bank or specialist depository.
Providers: Goldcore, Gold Investments Ltd, Baird, Chard, ATS Bullion

Gold certificates

The Perth Mint Certificate Programme is the only government backed precious metal certificate programme in the world. It allows investors to own bullion in unallocated or allocated accounts. The Perth Mint retains its AAA credit rating from Standard and Poor's and Moody's and is one of the safest and securest ways to own investment grade gold bullion. There are no initial or ongoing shipping, insurance, holding or custodial fees and thus it is one of the most cost effective ways for investors to own bullion over the long term.
Gold certificates are liquid and can be sold easily (soon investors will be able to buy and sell in real time online). Most investors opt to own their bullion in unallocated accounts as there are no insurance or holding fees on them and there is the flexibility of being able to transfer to an allocated account simply by paying small fabrication fees should the investor deem it necessary. Every gold bar is audited and accounted for and it is thus considered a safe way to own bullion. Bullion in a format of your choosing (coins or bars) can be shipped internationally from an allocated account or from an unallocated account once it has been converted to allocated.
Providers: GoldCore

Allocated accounts

Allocated gold accounts allow an investor to buy gold coins and bars from a bullion brokerage which will transfer or ship the bullion to an individual's account in a depository or bank. Allocated accounts involve ownership of specific gold and the owner has title to the individual coins or bars. Due diligence should be done on allocated gold account providers and the history, security, credit rating and net worth of the provider is of vital importance.
Providers: GoldCore, specialist depositories

Digital gold currency or e-gold

Digital Gold Currency, goldgrammes or e-gold are also increasingly popular. There are no specific financial regulations governing DGC providers, so they operate under self-regulation. DGC providers are not banks and therefore do not need to comply with bank regulations and there are concerns that there are unscrupulous operators operating in this emerging sector.
However, two of the more respected providers who have rightly garnered trust are Bullion Vault and Gold Money. They offer allocated accounts where gold can be instantly bought or sold just like any foreign currency. Every gold bar is audited and accounted for and it is thus considered a safe way to own bullion. Digital gold is primarily used by clients to buy gold for saving or as an investment and/ or as electronic money amongst users.
Providers: Gold Money, Bullion Vault

Gold bullion in SIPPs

UK citizens can as of April 2006 invest in gold bullion through their Self-Invested Personal Pensions (Sipps). US citizens could already do so in their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's). Sipps are new types of personal pension scheme that hold investments until you retire and start to draw a pension income. They are designed for people who want to manage their own fund by investing in asset classes of their choice. Investments made in gold bullion are topped up in the form of tax relief, meaning individuals can claim up to 40% back depending on the income tax band they fall in to.
Gold bullion is allowed in a Sipp providing it is investment grade gold which is gold of a purity not less than 995 thousandths or 99.5% pure and which is in the form of a bar, or of a wafer, of a weight accepted by the bullion markets. The bullion must be immoveable and stored with a secure third party. It cannot be taken possession of and used as a "pride in possession" article. Thus ETFs, some digital gold providers, allocated gold accounts and gold certificates are all allowed in the new SIPP.
Providers: GoldCore, Bullion Vault

Investing in paper gold

Mineral exploration, mining and the processes used to mine and produce metals are highly technical. Investors in gold production and exploration company stocks need to equip themselves with a basic understanding of the industry, in order to identify possible pitfalls and the risk-reward relationships of entering this investment sector. Investors should generally not buy just one or two stocks, but rather a basket of unhedged stocks or a mutual fund.
Derivatives, such as ETFs, forwards, futures, options and spread betting are normally short term speculations on the future price of gold and other markets such as commodities, shares or bonds, interest rates, exchange rates, or indices. They are financial instruments which derive their value from or whose price is dependent on the underlying asset. One does not directly own the underlying asset and one does not have a right to take possession of the underlying asset. Leverage or borrowing substantially may increase investment gains but also increases risk as if the price goes against the purchaser they may be subject to a margin call. There is significant leverage involved with derivatives and they are thus considered risky for non professionals as the potential positive or negative outcome is greatly magnified.
pyramid

Gold exchange traded funds (ETFs)

The recently launched ETFs are derivatives that track the price of gold and silver. Two of the more popular are the Streettracks Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD) and in London the Lyxor Gold Bullion Securities (LSE:GBS). They can be bought through stockbrokers.
There is an annual administration fee of between 0.4% and 0.5% per annum. Thus every year the amount of gold or silver backing an ETF share shrinks by that amount. This makes them unattractive as a medium or long term way to invest in gold. They are akin to derivative contracts that track the gold price and one does not own or have title to the underlying asset. Thus they are primarily used by day traders, hedge funds and institutional players going long and short and speculating on short term movements in the gold price.
Providers: Stock Brokers, Online Brokers

Gold stocks

Gold stocks are not gold - rather they are shares in gold mining companies. If the gold price rises, profits of a gold mining company should rise and as a result the share price should rise. There are many factors to take into account and it is not always the case that a share price will rise when the gold price increases. It is important to consider the performance and abilities of the management, auditors and geologists; the conduct of trade unions; a company's gold hedging position; whether it is producing or exploring; its cost basis; how much reserves it has in the ground and whether it is subject to political, economic, nationalisation or environmental risk.
Individual gold shares would be regarded as very volatile and high risk. Gold shares are regarded as more speculative as there is a higher risk-reward scenario. However, the added risk can be compensated for by the leverage which can result in higher returns. Such higher returns would be expected from mid and large-capitalisation un-hedged senior gold mining companies with proven reserves and strong earnings which have strong balance sheets and growth in resources and production and effective company management.
Providers: Stock Brokers, Online Brokers

Gold stock options

Stock options are a contract between two parties that expires at an agreed-upon time in the future. The contract purchaser is buying the right, but not the obligation, to buy a gold mining stock (a 'call' option) or sell (a 'put' option) a gold mining stock (the 'underlying') at a specific price, on or before the agreed-upon date, the date of expiration.
Stock options allow for a lot of leverage as a trader can control a large stock position with only a small outlay. However due to the very short term of the option contracts, they can expire worthless with the entire outlay being lost. Stock options allow speculators to make bets on market movement without having to pick an up or down direction. Because of this, stock options traders are often said to be trading volatility rather than price.
Providers: Online option brokers such as Options Express and E-Trade and certain stockbrokers

Precious metal unit trusts or mutual funds

Instead of personally selecting individual shares, some investors spread their risk by investing in collective investment vehicles specialising in investing in the shares of gold mining companies. These include mutual funds, open-ended investment companies (OEICs), closed-end funds, unit trusts. Two of these funds are the UK-based Blackrock Gold & General Fund and the Canadian Sprott Gold & Precious Minerals Fund by Sprott Asset Management. There are many precious metal funds in the US but investors assume US dollar currency risk when buying them.
Collective investment vehicles are a good way to invest in the precious metal mining sector as an investor's risk is reduced; mutual funds are not dependent on the performance and profits of one or two individual gold mining company and specialists in the field choose a portfolio of gold mining companies.
Providers: Blackrock Gold and General Fund, Sprott Gold & Precious Minerals Fund

Gold futures

Gold futures are traded on exchanges in London, Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, at the New York Mercantile Comex Exchange (COMEX), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and at the precious metals department of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT).
Gold futures contracts are firm commitments to make or take delivery of a specified quantity and quality of gold on a prescribed date at an agreed price. Investors may take or make delivery of the gold underlying the contract on its maturity although, in practice, that is unusual. A benefit for some is that such contracts are traded on margin, so that only a fraction of the value of the contract has to be paid up front. As a result an investment in a futures contract, whether from the long or the short side, tends to be highly geared to the price of bullion and consequently more volatile.
They are normally the preserve of some mining companies, speculators, hedge funds and institutions. The leverage makes them a high risk/high reward investment. Participants are either hedging the gold price or attempting to predict whether the value of gold will rise or fall in the short term. Gold futures contracts are valuable trading tools for commercial producers and users of the metal to hedge their price risk.
Success depends on the price movement of gold during the contract term. Traders in these markets without protective stop-losses can quickly find themselves on the wrong side of a fast moving trade, losing large sums of money. Part of the risk is due to the leverage involved which can result in a speculator losing more than their initial capital outlay. Therefore, futures markets are not for amateurs or novice investors.
Providers: Commodity Brokerages, Online Brokerages such as Internaxx

Gold futures options

All the bullion banks trade in gold options and a list of bullion banks is available from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). Another way of trading options is through the COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The third route would be to contact a futures broker. They are often used to contain risk in the trading of futures.
Providers: Commodity Brokerages, Online Brokerages

Spread-betting

An alternative is to use spread betting to gain leveraged exposure to precious metals. Firms such as Cantor Index, CMC Markets and IG Index offer the ability to take a bet on the price of gold through what is known as a spread bet.
No commissions or taxes are levied in the UK on spread betting. The advantages are that any gains are CGT free and one can also take a view on movements in either direction. The downside is that in a spread bet the spread can be high, your exposure is geared up and short term bets are risky as it is extremely difficult to forecast any markets short term movement. One can lose more than the initial capital thus they are for speculators with very short term horizons rather than investors.
The World Gold Council is a good resource for investors looking for established and reputable providers of gold related investments in the UK and internationally.

Assessing your options

One's motivation for investing in gold is fundamental to deciding how to invest. Are you a speculator, investor or saver? Do you wish to take a short term speculative position in gold? Are you investing for the short, medium or long term? Or are you diversifying; saving or using gold as a form of financial insurance (gold's primary role)?
When assessing one's gold investment options one must decide what one's motivation is. Once this is done, the primary considerations which should be looked at are the costs (both upfront and possibly recurring annual fees), proximity to your asset and perhaps most importantly today counter party risk.
In the table below we have looked at the various vehicles for accessing the gold market and graded them with regard to cost, ability to take delivery and, most importantly, proximity to your gold and counter party risk.

TypeCostsRisksDeliveryConsiderations
InitialRecurringCounter party risksProximityInvestor suitabilityPhysical delivery?
Gold certificates Med V good(none) Low Good Diversifier Yes Consider solvency & credit rating. A sovereign AAA credit rating and govt. guarantee is best.
Bullion bars/coins delivered Med V good (none) Low V good Diversifier Yes Use safety deposit boxes, home or office safes, and insurance.
Bullion bars/coins stored Med Med Low Good Diversifier Yes Consider the solvency and credit rating of the depository. Safety and security are key.
Gold bullion in SIPPS Low Low Low Good Diversifier No Make sure you get impartial fee-based asset allocation advice.
Semi numis matics High Low Low Good Diversifier/
Speculator
Yes Premiums can vary. Get reputable and professional advice before purchasing.
Digital gold Low Low Med Med Diversifier/
Speculator
Some do Concerns over dependence on technology (internet, website, servers, etc) which is attendant risks.
Exchange traded funds Low High Med Poor Speculator Large minimum Suitable for speculators, own shares in a trust and not gold. Annual costs quite high at 0.5% per year.
Precious metal unit trusts Med High Med Poor Diversifier/
Speculator
No High annual charges (funds can have hidden charges). Analyse the prospectus fully.
Gold stocks Low Low High Poor Speculator No Very volatile. Management, geologist, auditor, trade union, environmental and nationalisation risk. Seek advice.
Gold futures Low Med High Poor Speculator Yes Only suitable for speculators. High risk, involving leverage. Seek advice.
Spread betting Med Med High Poor Speculator No Only suitable for speculators. High risk, involving leverage. Need to monitor trading constantly. Seek advice.

In an age of significant systemic risk, proximity to the underlying asset is increasingly important. Investors are increasingly wary of having too many counter parties (brokerages, banks, trustees, custodians, sub-custodians, delegates of sub-custodians etc.) between them and their asset. If storing gold with a third party, it is important that you have a direct relationship with that counterparty and there is not significant intermediation and thus increased risk. Another consideration is the ability to take delivery of gold in the event of a systemic crisis.

Investing in gold: conclusion

As we have seen, there are major differences in the various motivations for buying gold and ways to buy gold – from trading and speculating to investing and saving.
Holding precious metals in a portfolio can provide distinct benefits in the form of speculative gains, investment gains, hedging against macroeconomic and geopolitical risk and / or wealth preservation. Traditional asset allocation theory, as represented by the investment pyramid, advocates higher risk speculations at the top, with lower risk assets at the bottom. Commodity futures contracts, options and exploration junior mining companies should be placed at the top of the pyramid, while cash equivalents and fully allocated or taken delivery of physical bullion should form the foundation or base.
Experienced and knowledgeable investors have long known that gold and gold related investments can be solid investment choices. Gold is stable in times of global geopolitical instability and when there is economic uncertainty, recessions and depressions. It is important that investors look at their portfolios holistically. Used correctly, gold and gold related investments can be highly effective components of a properly diversified investment portfolio.
• This article was written by Mark O'Byrne, executive director of international bullion dealer GoldCore. GoldCore has an international media profile (CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN, BBC, FT, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Associated Press, Reuters etc.) and takes part in the Reuters Precious Metals Poll and the Bloomberg Gold Survey.
source

Posted by Mr Thx Tuesday, October 11, 2011 0 comments

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama)-- Pelaburan Hartanah Bhd (PHB) and Mayban Investment Management Sdn Bhd (MIM), have announced a second income distribution of 3.25 sen a unit for the Amanah Hartanah Bumiputera (AHB) Unit Trust Fund for the six-month period ended Sept 30, 2011.

AHB is managed by MIM and sponsored by PHB while the trustee is AmanahRaya Trustees Bhd.

"This translates to an annualised income yield of 6.5 per cent which is benchmarked against the 12-month General Investment Account-i of Maybank Islamic Bhd," the companies said in a joint statement today.

The statement also said the total dividend payout to all AHB unit holders for this second income distribution amounts to RM31 million.

"With this, the total income distribution for the first financial year of the ten-month period ended Sept 30, 2011 is 5.42 sen a unit equaling an annualised yield of 6.5 per cent," it added.

The first income distribution of 2.17 sen a unit for the four-month period ended March 31, 2011 was made in April this year.

Meanwhile, the statement said of the total 60,000 unit holders of AHB, almost 40,000 or 67 per cent of them, are small investors investing in a range of RM500 to RM1,000.

"This indicates that the Fund is well received by the low to medium income Bumiputera groups and therefore, augurs well with PHB's objective of reaching the people as a whole," it added.

--BERNAMA

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd, a leading full-fledged Islamic financial institution, has launched the Islamic Dual Currency Investment (DCI-i), which will be initially offered in the Malaysian Ringgit, Euro and US Dollars to wholesale customers.

DCI-i is a foreign exchange-based structured investment product under the concept of Wakalah bil Istithmar (an agency for investment) linked to the performance of a pair of foreign currencies, Bank Muamalat said in a statement.

The product essentially allows investors, who have a view on foreign currencies, to enjoy potentially higher returns compared with traditional deposit products.

The DCI-i entails a relatively higher risk profile as it is not capital protected but provides an avenue to generate higher returns from investment in alternative currencies.

Bank Muamalat Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mohd Redza Shah Abdul Wahid was quoted as saying in the statement that the bank continued to expand its range of services and products, encompassing not only traditional Islamic banking products, but also more innovative syariah compliant investment products to cater to increasing levels of customer sophistication.

He, however, reiterated the importance of investor education and protection through proper disclosure and, the need for investors to clearly understand the nature of such products and risks involved.

-- BERNAMA

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