Fading Gold
“Gold will always shine” is a common saying, often cited to encourage harder work, yet it contains a fundamental factual error. Gold itself does not generate light; its glittering appearance is merely the color of light it reflects from external sources. Extending this simple physical fact to the realm of finance might offer a deeper understanding of gold’s nature as a special asset: the radiance of its value doesn’t stem from intrinsic growth or yield, but rather largely reflects external conditions – the market’s fear, the shadow of risk, the tide of currency, the temperature of geopolitics. Gold’s value is a passive and complex “reflective value.” ...