Gold Rate Today in India

Difference in Physical Gold, Gold ETFs and Sovereign Gold Bonds

Investors can choose between physical gold, Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs). Each has its advantages concerning liquidity, safety, and ease of investment. Physical gold involves owning tangible gold in the form of bars, coins, or jewellery, allowing direct possession. On the other hand, Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are traded on stock exchanges, representing fractional gold ownership. They offer liquidity and convenience without physical possession. Meanwhile, Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs), issued by the government, are a secure investment offering interest and capital gains. Understanding these options—physical gold for ownership, ETFs for convenience, and SGBs for security—empowers investors to choose based on preferences, liquidity needs, and risk appetite, forming a diversified gold investment portfolio in India.

Importance of Gold in India

Gold has immense importance in India, acting as a pillar in its culture, religion and economy. In India, gold is not just a commodity, but a deep-rooted symbol of wealth, security and traditions passed down from the generations.

Gold has been the first choice of jewellery in the Indian household, and investors consider it a safe haven asset. Buying gold during the Indian festivals like Diwali, Dhanteras, and Akshay Tritiya is considered auspicious and also serves as a status symbol.

Gold also plays a vital role in the economy as a stable asset anda hedge against inflation. It supports a country's national reserves, influences currency value and strengthens investors' confidence. In India, gold prices drive investor sentiment, consumer demand, impact trade balance and contribute significantly to jewellery and investment markets.

Factors Affecting Gold Rates in India

Gold rates in India depend on multiple factors, which collectively contribute to the price fluctuations. Below are a few reasons:

1. Currency Fluctuations: A depreciating rupee against the dollar increases the gold rates in India.
2. Global Demand: Gold is traded internationally, and global demand and supply directly impact the price of gold. If global demand for gold is high, the price of gold in India will also rise and vice versa.
3. Interest Rates: The change in interest rates by central banks significantly impacts the gold price. High interest rates inversely impact the gold rates.
4. Government Policies: Policies influence the gold price through import duties, GST, monetary policies and more. Lower import duties boost imports and vice versa.

Why Do We Need to Invest in Gold?

There are many reasons to invest in gold. The first and most important reason is to hedge against falling prices in any asset class, such as equity and real estate. It means it provides diversification in our portfolio. Usually, it is seen that when the equity market is not performing well, the gold price continues to rise, which can balance the total returns.

Gold also has high liquidity. Investors mostly prefer to keep gold in their portfolio in some form, such as gold bars, gold coins, gold ETFs, etc. All these have high liquidity as compared to real estate.

Is Gold Investment a Safe Option in India?

In India, investing in gold has been considered a safe haven and plays an important role in a portfolio. Here's why your portfolio must have a certain position of gold investment.

1. Historical Stability: Gold holds a historical significance as a stable asset, protecting against economic uncertainties, inflation, and more such scenarios.
2. Portfolio Diversification: One of the most important reasons to invest in gold is due to diversification. Gold diversifies the risk, balancing out the impact of the volatility in equity and other asset classes.
3. Hedge Against Inflation: Gold has often retained its value during high inflation periods in the economy, preserving purchasing power.
4. Long-Term Store of Value: Gold is considered a precious metal that maintains its worth for a long time, offering a sense of security to its investors.
5. Cultural Relevance: In India, gifting gold jewellery in weddings and ceremonies is a tradition. It ensures gold consistently has a market demand and cultural value.

Understanding Hallmarked, KDM and 916 Gold

At the time of buying gold jewellery, you must have heard the terms like hallmarked gold, KDM gold, and 916 gold. Each of these terms represents something about the purity and quality of the gold.

Knowing the difference between these terms can help you to make informed decisions and ensure you get fair value for your purchase. Let's discuss hallmarked, KDM and 916 gold and how it influences gold rates.

What is Hallmark Gold?

Hallmark gold is gold jewellery and items that are officially certified for purity and authenticity by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The certification involves stamping the gold with specific marks, including the BIS logo, purity karat, centre ID, and jeweller's mark. It assures customers that buying gold gets genuine, good-quality gold against duplicate or fake items.

In India, hallmarked gold comes in purities such as 958 (23 karat), 916 (22 karat), 875 (21 karat) and 750 (8 karat).

What is KDM gold?

KDM gold is a type of gold jewellery in India. It is an alloy of gold and cadmium, with the divisions being 92% gold and 8% cadmium. It is used to fuse different components of gold jewellery. This type of gold jewellery is prevalent due to its enhanced strength and purity. But KDM gold jewellery is banned by the Bureau of Indian Standards due to health concerns.

What is 916 gold?

916 gold is also known as 22 karat gold, which is the most preferred choice of gold buyers in India. The 916 gold contains 91.6% pure gold and 8.4% other alloys. The hallmark for this type of gold is 916, indicating its purity level.

Impact of Different Gold Types on Gold Price

Gold prices in India and worldwide are affected by various factors such as global economic conditions and demand/supply dynamics. BIS hallmark, certified for purity, gives buyers the confidence to buy genuine gold, driving the demand, and impacting the gold rates positively. KDM Gold enhanced durability, making it attractive for jewellery lovers, positively contributing to demand and gold prices.

916 gold or 22 karat gold is the most preferred gold in the market by customers. Therefore, it has a steady demand in the market, which affects the overall gold prices.

Resale Value of Hallmark Gold

The resale value of hallmarked gold in India is significantly higher compared to non-hallmarked gold. As it is certified by BIS, it increases the authenticity of gold. When a buyer purchases 916 hallmark gold, he gets assured of its 91.6% purity.

The certification by BIS adds a layer of trust and transparency, making it attractive for buyers and jewellers. Since 916 gold guarantees purity, buyers don't hesitate to pay a premium for it. It means while reselling, you expect a higher return on investment.

Hallmark gold is likely to fetch prices closer to current market gold rates. Therefore, investing in hallmarked gold not only provides peace of mind but also attracts a higher resale value at the time of selling.

What is Electronic Gold Investment?

Electronic gold or e-gold investment lets you own gold in electronic form, backed by physical 24 karat gold. It allows investors to invest in gold digitally from their mobile phones and computers. Electronic gold bridges the gap between physical and digital gold, offering accessibility and security for various types of investors.

Types of Electronic Gold Investment

There are four main types of electronic gold investment available in India:

1. Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs): These are government securities issued by the RBI, on behalf of the Government of India. They are denominated in grams of gold and offer a secure, long-term investment option.
2. Gold ETFs: Gold exchange-traded funds are investment instruments that are actively traded on the stock exchanges. Each unit of Gold ETF represents 1 gram of 99.5% pure physical gold held in secure vaults by the fund house.
3. Digital Gold Platforms: It refers to an online method of buying and accumulating pure gold in fractional amounts through various fintech applications. However, investing in digital gold can be risky as it is not regulated by SEBI.
4. Gold Mutual Funds: These funds mainly invest in the gold ETFs, allowing investors to invest in gold ETFs without having a demat account.

How To Buy Gold via Upstox?

Upstox is a stock and commodity broker registered under SEBI. It provides the facility to buy gold ETFs, gold futures and options contracts.

To buy gold via Upstox, open a demat account online in 5 minutes. Complete the KYC process by uploading the required documents, and make sure to activate the commodity segment. E-sign the documents and complete the procedure. Later, you will get the Upstox login details.

Log in to your Upstox demat account, search for any gold ETFs you want to buy, add funds and click on buy. However, if you want to buy Gold futures and options contracts, search for Gold futures which will have an expiry. As per your analysis, buy/sell gold future contracts.