GOLD: In the Context of Portfolio Theory 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA MEd

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Gold has long been regarded as a cornerstone of wealth preservation, and its role within modern investment portfolios continues to attract scholarly attention. As both a tangible asset and a financial instrument, gold embodies characteristics that distinguish it from equities, fixed income securities, and other commodities. Its historical resilience, inflation-hedging capacity, and diversification benefits render it a subject of considerable importance in portfolio construction and risk management.

Historical and Monetary Significance

Gold’s enduring appeal is rooted in its function as a monetary standard and store of value. For centuries, gold underpinned global currency systems, most notably through the gold standard, which provided stability in international trade and monetary policy. Although fiat currencies have supplanted gold in official circulation, its symbolic and practical role as a measure of wealth persists. This historical continuity reinforces investor confidence in gold as a reliable repository of value during periods of economic uncertainty.

Inflation Hedge and Safe-Haven Asset

A substantial body of empirical research demonstrates that gold serves as a hedge against inflation and currency depreciation. When consumer prices rise and fiat currencies weaken, gold tends to appreciate, thereby preserving purchasing power. Moreover, gold’s status as a safe-haven asset is particularly evident during geopolitical crises, financial market turbulence, and systemic shocks. In such contexts, investors reallocate capital toward gold, seeking protection from volatility in traditional asset classes. This defensive quality underscores gold’s utility in stabilizing portfolios during adverse conditions.

Diversification and Risk Management

From the perspective of modern portfolio theory, gold offers diversification benefits due to its low correlation with equities and bonds. Incorporating gold into a portfolio reduces overall variance and enhances risk-adjusted returns. Studies suggest that even modest allocations—typically ranging from 5 to 10 percent—can improve portfolio resilience by mitigating downside risk. This non-correlation is especially valuable in environments characterized by heightened uncertainty, where traditional diversification strategies may prove insufficient.

Investment Vehicles and Accessibility

Gold’s versatility as an investment is reflected in the variety of instruments available to investors. Physical bullion, in the form of coins and bars, provides tangible ownership but entails storage and insurance costs. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer liquidity and ease of access, while mining equities provide leveraged exposure to gold prices, albeit with operational risks. Futures contracts and derivatives enable sophisticated strategies, though they demand expertise and tolerance for volatility. The breadth of these vehicles ensures that gold remains accessible across diverse investor profiles.

Limitations and Critical Considerations

Despite its strengths, gold is not without limitations. Unlike equities or bonds, gold does not generate income, such as dividends or interest. This absence of yield can constrain long-term portfolio growth, particularly in low-inflation environments. Furthermore, gold prices are subject to volatility, influenced by investor sentiment, central bank policies, and global demand dynamics. Overexposure to gold may therefore hinder portfolio performance, underscoring the necessity of balanced allocation.

Conclusion

Gold’s dual identity as a historical store of value and a contemporary financial instrument secures its relevance in portfolio construction. Its inflation-hedging capacity, safe-haven qualities, and diversification benefits justify its inclusion as a strategic asset. Nevertheless, prudent management is essential, given its lack of yield and susceptibility to volatility. Within a scholarly framework of portfolio theory, gold emerges not as a panacea but as a complementary asset, enhancing resilience and stability in the face of evolving economic landscapes.

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GIBSON’S PARADOX: Inaccurate Economic Observations

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Why were interest rates and prices correlated?

By Staff Reporters

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Gibson’s paradox is based on an economic observation made by British economist Alfred Herbert Gibson regarding the positive correlation between interest rates and wholesale price levels. John Maynard Keynes later called this relationship a paradox because he claimed that it could not be explained by existing economic theories.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

There have been possible explanations raised by economists to solve Gibson’s paradox over the decades. But as long as the relationship between interest rates and prices remains artificially de-linked, there may not be enough interest by today’s macro-economists to pursue it any further.

In the end, Gibson’s paradox was neither Gibson’s (having been previously discovered by others) nor a true paradox (as plausible explanations already existed at the time of Keynes’s writing and more have been explored since) and is of little interest beyond being a historical footnote to the gold standard era.

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Why the Government is Not-Like Medical Professionals

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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An Endless Supply of US Dollars

By Rick Kahler MS CFP® ChFC CCIM www.KahlerFinancial.com

Is the United States in danger of bankruptcy? Contrary to what you may read in the media or hear from many politicians, no, it isn’t. The US Treasury will never run out of dollars. Unlike doctors and medical professionals, it’s impossible.

Reasons Why?

The reason is relatively simple. The US government owns a printing press. As long as goods, services, or obligations are priced in US dollars, the supply of dollars to our government to buy those goods and services is unlimited. This is not true of individual physicians, corporations, cities, states, and countries that don’t issue their own currency.

For most people, this is a hard concept to grasp, with good reason. The capacity of our government to create an unconstrained supply of dollars is a relatively new phenomenon.

The Gold Standard

Until 1971, all US currency was theoretically redeemable in gold. This was known as the gold standard. In the early decades of the 20th century, you could actually go to a bank and change your dollars for gold. That ability was terminated in 1933, but the dollar’s value was still tied to gold. This basically meant the only way the US government could create new dollars was by obtaining more gold, the supply of which only increases by the new amount of gold mined.

Nixon

In 1971 we had a paradigm change in monetary policy that many still don’t understand. President Nixon decoupled the dollar from the gold standard [Nixon also wanted to flood the country with MDs, and drive down physician income, by opening up medical school admissions]. It became a fiat currency, which is used as a medium of exchange but has no intrinsic value. Suddenly, the US government was no longer constrained by solvency issues and could never run out of money. It could create as many dollars as it wished ie; inflation].

Constraints

This didn’t mean it had no constraints. The major constraint to an issuer of fiat currency is inflation. However, creating money does not guarantee inflation if the newly created money is not spent. Japan, for example, is still fighting deflation even though they’ve been pumping money into reserves like crazy for 20 years.

What should have caused a massive rethinking and reeducating of the financial sector went relatively unnoticed. Text books, professors, economists, and politicians largely continued to follow many pre-1971 monetary principles that became irrelevant overnight.

Unlike the federal government, US states, cities, and other government entities cannot print money. They have to get it the old-fashioned way—from taxes, fees, or borrowing. It’s entirely possible for these entities to go bankrupt, just like individuals and corporations, if their outflow exceeds their inflow.

Europe

Interestingly, the same is true for member countries of the European Union. When in 1999 they adopted the Euro and gave up their sovereign right to print their own money, they took on the same status as states. Therefore, a country like Greece, which is a user of currency as a member of the European Union, can involuntarily default on its obligations.

This is a significant difference between the United States and Greece. While Greece can (and most likely will) go bankrupt because it doesn’t have an unlimited supply of Euros, the US can’t go bankrupt because it does have an unlimited supply of dollars.

The major threat that sovereign countries face is not running out of money, but devaluing their currency through inflation. A devalued currency is one that loses its purchasing power and often results in a lower standard of living.

Assessment

Just because the US can’t involuntarily default on its obligations doesn’t mean we can keep on over spending and pretend we don’t have any money worries. As a nation, we still need to acknowledge and deal with our serious financial problems. So should our doctors, financial planners and financial advisors.

Conclusion

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