Want to lend some stability to your portfolio? Go for gold as a hedge

With both equity and bond markets likely to be disturbed this year, investors should allocate about 10 per cent to gold as a hedge against volatility

The price of gold recently touched a 15-month high of Rs 31,820 for 10 grammes. In doing so, it crossed the level seen in November 2016, the month when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his government’s ‘demonetisation’ decision revoking the legal-tender status of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. In the global markets, it is trading at around $1,358.70 an ounce.

Over the past year, the yellow metal has risen 4.19 per cent in India and 9.34 per cent in the international market. With both equity and debt markets expected to be volatile in 2018, investors should diversify