When investors in Germany buy gold, they tend to do so with the intention of protecting their wealth, while also keeping one eye on making good long-term returns. That was a finding from our 2019 survey of over 2,000 German retail investors, as part of a larger global survey of more than 12,000 investors across six markets. The research revealed that almost half of German retail investors buying gold bars and coins felt that the main role of their gold investment was to protect their wealth, with around one third focusing on good long-term returns (in excess of inflation).
And, according to the recently-published results of Pro Aurum’s 2020 annual Forsa survey, greater numbers of German investors now expect gold to help them achieve these investment objectives than last year. The survey shows that 31% of respondents voted gold as the investment product most likely to generate the best returns over the next three years, ahead of stocks with 25%. The 2019 survey saw gold receive 26% of votes, second place behind stocks (28%).
Our global survey identified that – at a global level – risk management was the key trigger for investments in gold in the 12 months preceding the survey.1