Because gold prices often do not trade in the same direction as the stock market, some compare buying gold to buying insurance. You may not need it, but it may be beneficial in some circumstances. This diversification means that under normal market conditions gold prices may have low correlation to most asset classes and in times of stress, such as during “tail events” and financial crises, gold prices’ correlation may be negative. Gold may protect against the wealth decay of inflation and currency devaluation. There is no credit risk associated with owning physical gold. The drivers behind gold supply and demand tend to be independent of, and sometimes opposed to, other traditional reserve assets (like currencies, securities, and bonds), making physical gold an effective diversifier for investment portfolios.