Best Gold ETF

Gold is among the most desired assets in India. Gold is useful for consumption in the form of jewellery and also is an asset that helps in hedging inflation and currency risk. It also diversifies an investment portfolio. There are multiple ways one can invest in gold. For the purpose of investment, physical gold can be quite risky as it is prone to theft and involves storage and carrying costs. Hence Gold ETFs are the perfect alternative to this.

What are Gold ETFs?

Gold ETFs or Gold Exchange Traded Funds are passive investments that track the domestic price of gold. They invest in gold bullion. They are the dematerialized forms of physical gold. One gold ETF scheme unit equals one gram of gold, and this unit is backed by physical gold of 99.5% purity.
Through this scheme, one can invest in gold as well as participate in the market as these are traded on stock exchanges both domestically and globally. Hence one can buy and sell them on NSE and BSE like any other listed stock. Also, they are listed under the cash segment of the exchanges and are bought and sold at market prices.
The purchase and sale of these mutual funds happen in terms of cash and not gold. Also, the trading takes place through a demat and trading account, making it convenient to transact in gold. Furthermore, this ensures complete transparency in trading in gold.
Since gold is stored in a dematerialized format, there is no risk of theft. Moreover, there are no storage and carrying costs. Also, returns from Gold ETFs are treated as capital gains and taxed accordingly. Hence are more tax-efficient than buying physical gold. They act as a perfect hedge against inflation and currency risk. Moreover, they also help in diversifying an investment portfolio by spreading the risk.

Best Gold ETFs in India to Start Investing 2022

• IDBI Gold ETF (G)
• Invesco India Gold ETF (G)
• Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold ETF (G)
• SBI ETF Gold (G)
• HDFC Gold Exchange Traded Fund (G)
• ICICI Prudential Gold ETF (G)
• Axis Gold Exchange Traded Fund (G)

How Gold ETFs Work?

Gold ETFs invest in physical gold bars that are of 99.5% purity. These ETFs can be bought and sold anytime on the stock exchange. The prices of gold ETFs are the same across India, unlike the price of gold bars and biscuits that vary with geographies. With a Demat and Trading account, an individual can easily purchase them on BSE or NSE. Furthermore, these ETFs attract fund management fees and broker charges. 

It is better to invest in these schemes as they are backed by physical gold, and the investor can enjoy the benefit of the change in gold prices instead of buying physical gold. Also, an investor can liquidate their investments at the market price of the gold. Moreover, Asset Management Companies (AMC) also allow investors to redeem Gold ETFs in unit form. In other words, if an investor holds Gold ETFs equivalent to 1kg gold, or in multiples thereof, they can redeem the investment in physical gold form. 

Features of Gold Exchange Traded Funds

• Flexibility: Gold ETFs can be purchased and sold online. Moreover, they can be stored in a Demat account. Hence, there is no risk of storing them.
• Liquidity: They are traded on a stock exchange and hence are highly liquid.
• Price of Gold: The price of gold is the same in the case of ETFs. It doesn’t differ like physical gold. 
• Smaller investments: One unit of Gold ETF scheme equals one gram of gold hence making it convenient for the investors to make small investments.
• Costs: ETFs have a maximum expense ratio of 1%. However, there are additional costs of brokerage and transaction costs if traded on stock exchanges.
• Taxation: Capital gains or returns from Gold ETFs are taxable based on the holding period of the investment. If they are sold before 36 months (short term), then the capital gains are taxable at the investors’ income tax slab rates. If the investments are sold after 36 months (long term), then the gains are taxable at 20.8% (including cess) after indexation benefits and 10% without indexation benefit.
  However, from April 1st 2023, Gold ETFs will no longer have the LTCG benefit. The capital gains arising from Gold ETF investments from April 1st 2023, will be taxed as per the investor’s IT slab rate, irrespective of the holding period.

Benefits of Gold Exchange Traded Funds

1. Simple and Open Trading: The minimum investment for a Gold ETF is 1 unit, and this is equivalent to 1 gram of gold. Buying and selling of these ETFs can be done on the stock exchange, and the prices are publicly available.
2. Smooth Transactions: Buying and selling of these ETFs is done on the stock exchange and during market hours. Therefore it is as easy as trading in equity securities (stocks). Local price differences or VAT, or any other taxes do not affect the price of the ETF.
3. Hedge against inflation: Gold as an investment acts as a hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations.
4. Secure: These schemes are easy and safe investment options compared to physical gold. One doesn’t need to worry about theft, storage, or bearing any additional costs for a locker or making charges. 
5. Inexpensive: These ETFs don’t have any entry or exit load. They only have broker charges and fund management fees.
6. Portfolio Diversification: These gold schemes are good investment options for portfolio diversification. During unstable market conditions, these help in reducing the risk.
7. Loan Collateral: Investors can avail a loan by pledging their ETFs as security with financial institutions.

Things to Consider as an Investor

The following are the things to consider while investing in Gold ETFs:

Financial Goals

Gold ETFs are a good option for hedging your investment portfolio. Therefore, if your goal is to diversify your investments, hedge against inflation and protection from market volatility, Gold ETFs are a good option. Thus, assess the suitability of gold ETFs against your investment goals.

Performance

While investing in a gold ETF, it is essential to analyze the fund’s past performance and the fund house. Though past performance doesn’t guarantee future returns, it is a good indicator to understand the scheme’s performance. A good performance suggests a higher possibility of better results in the future and overall efficiency.

Liquidity

Gold ETFs are highly liquid. Since they trade on the stock exchange, you can easily buy and sell them anytime. Furthermore, you can redeem gold ETF units for physical gold.

Tracking Error

Tracking error is the difference between the index’s NAV and ETF’s market price. These track market prices of gold as closely as possible. Always identify funds with low tracking error to maximize returns. Often, high tracking errors will lower the net returns.

Taxation

Gold ETFs are non-equity investments. Thus, the short-term capital gains are added to your taxable income and are taxed as per your income tax slab rate. Investment with less than three years of holding attracts short-term capital gains tax. While investments with a holding period of more than three years attract long-term capital gains tax. The long-term capital gains are taxable at 20% with indexation benefits. From April 1st 2023, capital gains from gold ETFs will be taxed as per the investor’s IT slab rate. This is irrespective of the holding period; thus, gold ETFs will not have the LTCG benefit.

Cost

Gold ETFs are an economical way to acquire gold. These are passive investment schemes; the fund expense ratio is low. Furthermore, since the gold units are held in dematerialized form, the cost of holding the units is negligible when compared to physical gold. Physical gold comes with higher acquiring costs, taxes, storage fees, and risk of theft.

Gold ETF vs Physical Gold

Following are the differences between the Gold ETF and physical gold.

Basis of Difference	Gold ETF	Physical Gold
Meaning	Gold ETFs are backed by physical gold of the highest purity (99.5%). They are in demat form.	An investor buys gold in physical form for investment or consumption.
Purpose	The purchase happens for investment purposes.	The purchase happens mostly for consumption purposes.
Pricing	They are uniformly priced as per international standards.	The physical gold prices vary from dealer to dealer.
Storage	No need to store the gold in physical form. These ETFs are stored in demat form. Hence no risk of theft and no additional storage costs.	Physical gold is stored in lockers and has carrying costs and storage costs. There is also a high risk of theft.
Minimum investment	The minimum investment is one gram.	Gold bars and biscuits of 10 grams are available for investment purposes. However, one can buy one gram of gold as well.
Charges and wealth tax	ETFs’ expense ratio is capped at 1% and a few additional charges for transaction and brokerage. No wealth tax is levied.	Gold has making charges. A wealth tax is also levied if the value exceeds INR 30 lakhs.
Liquidity	These ETFs are very liquid as they are traded on the stock exchange.	Gold can be purchased from banks and jewellers but can be exchanged with only jewellers.
Requirement of demat account	Demat account is needed.	Demat account is not needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

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