Gold and silver investing could be smart even for short term investors

(October 31, 2012) - While plenty of those dedicated to investing in gold and silver are in it for the long term, there are a lot of investors out there who prefer to go after short term gains when they can. Voices in the media that have been saying the time to stock up on gold is now often do not mention the real benefits to be had for those who buy gold or silver for the short term jump in price that's being widely forecast. According to a recent article by Jeff Reeves, editor of The Slant, the opportunities that lie in store for those who purchase gold and silver now while prices are at a low point really do bear closer investigation even though Reeves himself is not a die-hard fan of any particular asset. What makes Reeves' voice particularly compelling for those interested in precious metals is that he has wide tastes in investing strategies and is not simply a fan of hard assets like gold or silver alone. According to Reeves, there are a variety of factors making gold and silver investing smart, not just for those who already hold it as a long term strategy, but for those who want to profit soon. He acknowledges that a lot of stories in the news recently point to now being the time to buy gold or silver, ranging from a report that Germany's gold reserves have disappeared to analysts who say gold will hit over five times its value at $10,000 per ounce. While neither confirming nor denying these things, Reeves says gold and silver hold promise because of many other verifiable factors currently present in the world. In his brief piece covering his take on the situation, Reeves steers clear of philosophy and politics to assert that now is the right time to consider short term profits, "Because the bottom line is that now could be a great time to buy gold or silver and ride the metals to market-beating gains in the next few months. Gold is trading near seven-week lows, and silver is too." The Federal Reserve and its monetary policy is often cited as one reason investors will turn to precious metals, since cash isn't producing much return due to zero interest rates. Another reason Reeves sees for advocating the yellow metal now is that the stock market in the U.S. has seen better days. Investors will want to pull out of stocks, too, and the more defensive traders get, the more they will look to safer hard assets. Atop all of these impressive pushes towards a rapid rise in price for precious metals is the fact that young and vigorous markets like Asia are greedy for gold, silver and other metals. Bringing all of these factors together spells big things for those who want to take advantage of a double digit percentage increase in asset value just by the first of the year. Not all investors will want to make a cash grab like this using precious metals, but for those who do this is a remarkable opportunity. The future looks good long term, but right now there's short term money to be made too.