"Gold investing can be a good idea for spreading risk across a balanced portfolio. That's because the value of gold bullion has tended to increase when other investment assets fall over long periods of time.\n\nHistorical trends show that investing in gold has made a good if imperfect hedge against poor performance from currencies, shares, bonds and real estate. The idea is to reduce overall risk by using gold to diversify the portfolio's investments.\n\nWhen investing in gold as a way to spread risk, also consider costs, security and simplicity. For more information on gold investment, keep reading this dedicated guide.\n\nGold bullion is viewed by many investors as a good way of hedging against risk as part of a balanced portfolio. This is because the value of gold has historically increased as cash, currencies, stocks and bonds lost value, helping reduce overall losses when other assets in an investment portfolio drop.\n\nThere are many different ways to invest in gold bullion. 400oz Good Delivery bars offer the most cost-effective product, because the deep, global market for these large units makes the price spread (the difference between buying and selling prices) tighter than for any other form of bullion.\n\nSome analysts and advisors think investing in gold is a bad idea because it doesn't pay any income or interest. But gold bullion is more widely seen as a good alternative investment, hedging against risk as part of a balanced portfolio.\n\nHistorically, the value of gold has repeatedly increased when domestic currencies, stocks and bonds have performed badly over extended periods of time. This 'see-saw' performance isn't guaranteed however, and gold can fall alongside stocks and bonds during short-term crises.\n\nOver longer periods, gold prices show a similar volatility to the stock market, and most investors using gold to balance risk from other portfolio assets should expect gold to underperform when the economy is growing and wider investment sentiment is positive."