RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:what should we do stay in or get outAs an investor, I am a gold agnostic: When used properly, the metal is a potentially valuable tool in an investment arsenal. There are times when it makes for a profitable part of a portfolio, as in the 2000s. There are periods when it is a speculative and dangerous trade -- such as the 2010s. There have also been decades when it does nothing, earning no return, generating no income, essentially dead weight to a portfolio, as in the 1980s and 1990s.
Not very long ago, metal analysts were tripping over one another to put ever-higher price targets on gold, with forecasts of $2500, then $5,000 and even $10,000 an ounce. Individual investors, institutions and foundations were buying the metal as fast as they could, regardless of price.
What a difference two years make. The mania for gold, like all manias, is ending badly. Some gold fans may argue that the cycle is not over yet, and they may be correct. However, any asset class that loses almost 40 percent of its value in two years is worthy of further study, a teachable moment of what not to do in a trade !