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Reuters
reports that German firm plans gold ATMs to meet
growing demand.
(emphasis mine) [my
comment]
German
firm plans gold ATMs to meet growing demand
Tue
May 19, 2009 7:28pm IST
*
Gold ATMs intended to whet appetite for physical gold
* Private investor inquiries doubling every six weeks
* Plan is for 500 gold ATMs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria
By Peter Starck
FRANKFURT, May 19 (Reuters) - Private investors should hold up to 15
percent of their wealth in physical gold, according to a German asset
management company which plans to set up 500 "Gold-To-Go" ATMs in
Germany, Switzerland and Austria this year.
A gold-dispensing automatic teller machine (ATM) was on display at
Frankfurt's main railway station for a one-day marketing test on Tuesday.
A one-gram (0.0353 ounce) piece of gold, the size of a child's little
fingernail and about as thin, cost 31 euros ($42.25) -- a 30 percent premium
to the spot market price.
The flat rectangular piece, bearing the imprint of Belgian metals and
speciality materials firm Umicore (UMI.BR), came out of the cash-only ATM in
a tin box, including a certificate of authenticity.
(picture also from Reuters)
"This is more than a marketing gimmick," said Thomas Geissler,
chief executive of TG-Gold-Super-Markt.de, the company planning to set up the
500 gold ATMs at a cost of 20,000 euros apiece.
"It is an appetizer for a strategic investment in precious metals.
Gold is an asset everyone should have, between 5 and 15 percent of your
liquid assets in physical gold," he told Reuters in an interview.
DEMAND
Private investor demand for gold is on the rise in Germany and elsewhere as a
result of the financial markets crisis, which has made many investors wary of
holding traditional assets such as equities, bonds or mutual funds investing
in such securities.
"In absolute numbers, the demand for physical gold is still tiny in
Germany," Geissler said. "But in relative terms, the growth is
explosive, inquiries have been doubling every six weeks," Geissler said
of the trend in recent months.
TG-Gold-Super-Mark.de's main precious metals business idea is based on online
commerce.
The gold ATMs to be set up at central locations such as airports, railway
stations and shopping malls are intended to gradually accustom people to the
idea of investing in physical gold, Geissler said.
The ATMs will dispense 1-gram, 5-gram and 10-gram pieces of gold as well
as Krugerrand gold coins. Each ATM can hold up to 1,500 pieces, he said.
The company's internet website (www.gold-super-mark.de), through which
investors can purchase units between 1 gram and 1,000 grams, is updating
precious metals prices every 10 minuntes.
The ATMs will be equipped with technology ensuring that the prices charged by
the ATMs keep pace with those on the website.
TG-Gold-Super-Markt.de is a subsidiary of German online investment fund
company INFOS GmbH founded in 1994. INFOS now manages 170 million euros worth
of assets on behalf of about 5,000 customers.
My reaction: These
gold ATM are part of the process of re-introducing gold as money.
1) A German asset management company plans to set up 500
"Gold-to-Go" ATMs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria this year.
2) These gold ATMs are intended to whet appetite for physical gold.
3) Private investor inquiries have been doubling every six weeks.
Conclusion: The
fundamental lack of interest in gold as money going into this crisis is
probably the most bullish factor gold has going for it. As major currencies
collapse (dollar, pound, yen, etc…), gold will soar as it regains its
status as ‘cash’ in the minds of people around the world.
Eric
de Carbonnel
Market Skeptics
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