What is the safest way to invest in gold: physical storage or ETF?

If you want to own physical gold don't put all your eggs in one basket,

Remember the scumbag couple that stole from bank safety deposit boxes and was found not guilty in a s**t show trial in Cyprus.

https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2016/02/06/remand-extended-for-safety-deposit-box-theft-suspect/

https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/couple-in-money-fraud-case-suddenly-off-the-hook

I've also heard of disappearing items from bank safety deposit boxes in Panama.

fc70 said:

If you want to own physical gold don't put all your eggs in one basket,

Remember the scumbag couple that stole from bank safety deposit boxes and was found not guilty in a s**t show trial in Cyprus.

https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2016/02/06/remand-extended-for-safety-deposit-box-theft-suspect/

https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/couple-in-money-fraud-case-suddenly-off-the-hook

I've also heard of disappearing items from bank safety deposit boxes in Panama.

Click to expand...

If you trust any bank with your valuables you deserve to be robbed.

fc70 said:

If you want to own physical gold don't put all your eggs in one basket,

Remember the scumbag couple that stole from bank safety deposit boxes and was found not guilty in a s**t show trial in Cyprus.

https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2016/02/06/remand-extended-for-safety-deposit-box-theft-suspect/

https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/couple-in-money-fraud-case-suddenly-off-the-hook

I've also heard of disappearing items from bank safety deposit boxes in Panama.

Click to expand...

I’d say anything is possible in Panama, even stuff disappearing from your safety deposit box. For all the criticism about the EU or Europe, that kind of thing just doesn’t happen in places like Monaco, Switzerland, or Germany.

Has there ever been hyperinflation in gold or gold backed currency in history? The answer is yes. It (in part) brought down the Spanish Habsburgs. There are changing tastes in the west with respect to gold jewelry but don’t forget that India represents approximately 25% of the global market share and it continues to grow. China and India represent 60% of the gold jewelry market. The Arab world is another significant consumer. The metal also has use in industrial and electronic applications. It’s neither doom nor a panacea to all potential problems with fiat currency. It’s another asset class subject to market forces and nothing more.

Do you trust your ability to secure, transport, and convert it, or do you trust legal frameworks around third party custody? I wouldn’t want to try to fly out of Africa (or the US, for that matter) with a case full of gold bars. Much prefer certificates with proof of Swiss custody. On the other hand, I wouldn’t trust a Cypriot dog sitter to watch the neighbor’s dog that barks all night and that I want to die, much less trust a Cypriot bank with anything valuable after the 2013 fiasco.

Bitcoin is, for now, also just another asset class subject to market forces. It’s priced in dollars or euros, after all.