Gold and Silver of Investments, a safe way to strengthen savings

In instability times And uncertainty such as wars, economic crises, coins devaluations, etc., often look for alternative routes to protect their assets or to achieve financial benefits. One of the most common is usually the acquisition of noble metals, especially gold and silver.

That is what happened this first part of the year 2025, since the president of the United States Donald Trump has announced new rates for all countries. In the words of Iñigo Arriaga, director of the Gold Survey of Gold and Investment Silver Dinoro de Bilbao, the past weeks the Asian investors, large fortunes and central banks buy gold “as crazy”. However, the demand for the Western average investor has stopped, “probably because of the rise in gold price.”

Gold and silver It is the two precious metals that are the most taken over as an investment. They are the only ones who have had one Monetary use over the centuries Worldwide, hence their safety. In the market you can also find ingots and platinum or paladium coins, but “they are never used as money and are not most suitable for protecting heritage,” Arriaga said.

If we compare silver and gold, this second is the safest assets and demanded by investors. Silver is used in large quantities in industry and is then more volatile in the markets. Gold movements are usually more controlled. Although traditional currencies lose the purchase value through inflation over the years, gold is also maintained. That is why it is the best way to protect heritage or savings that we have stopped before time.

These last months, gold and silver They are high. The value of gold It rose around 27 % in 2024. The year ended by paying the Troy Ounce (measure used in the metal market, equal to 31.103 grams) to 2,600 euros. In April 2025, however, after the uncertainty of rates, he broke all historical brands of more than € 3,000 per ounce. Currently it is about € 2,800.

La Plata It is much cheaper, but it usually has more abrupt movements in the markets. In 2024, however, the market value grew by 45 % and the end of the year the ounce was paid € 28. From 2025 it is expected to raise its value again. It is currently around 29 euros, although it reached 32 in March. Some analysts also predict a very profitable near future because of the shortage and use in the industry.

In the long term

The purpose of investing in metal should not be to obtain a short profitability in the opinion of Arriaga. In his opinion it makes sense to invest in gold That money left for savings or heritage and that we leave stationary. “If inflation is going to reduce the purchase capacity of that money, it is better to have it in gold.”

Another strong point of investment gold is that thanks to a European directive, it is exempt from VAT. That is why the gold price will be paid at that time when making the purchase and the costs of mining and the marketing rate will be added.

However, La Plata has 21 % VAT, due to the great use in the industry, which uses between 50 and 55 % of the existing silver.

By investing in gold or silver, investors usually also appreciate the absence of counterpart risk. By in many cases possessing physical metals, it does not depend on a third party (for example a financial entity) that is solvent.

Although most customers of Dinoro Bilbao usually prefer have metalsThere is also who they do not dare to keep at home for security problems. For these cases there are services for security boxes.

How to invest?

In our area there are various branches devoted to the sale of gold and investment silver and many of them also offer online service.

Arriaga explains that it is indifferent from an economic point of view to acquire Gallion of Coins. “Some people want to coins because they are more beautiful, but the value will be the same,” he says. In his opinion, it takes into account Are purity (9999 is the highest) and the weight What you have.

“It is often logical to buy two or three different measures,” he says. With regard to economic efficiency, the greater the piece per gram is paid in its begging costs. But if you want to have flexibility in disinvestment, it is preferable to have fractional investments. “Placing all the savings in a single piece would be a carafal error,” he says, “because if you sell, you have to get rid of the full piece.”

On the market we can find bulls of different sizes: 1 kg., 100 grams, an ounce Troy (31,103 gr.), 10 grams …

We can also choose to acquire coins, the people Gallion. Currency houses from different countries and the most prestigious manufacturers launch coin fees every year. The best known are the “Krugerrand” of South Africa, the “Kanguro” of Australia, the “Panda” of China, the “Brittany” of the United Kingdom and the “Arce Leaf” of Canada.

The Spanish currency house usually uses images of different Iberian animals: the lynx, the bull, the horse … This year the chosen animal has been the imperial eagle.

In contrast to the precious metal that sobiles more in details, the coins are usually also objective for many collectors.

Uxoa Larrañaga Iribar is an investment that has been gaining precious metals for five years. He started buying silver coins, then went to gold and currently gained the routine to acquire some grams from time to time.