Gold Price in Kanchipuram today -

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The intention behind applying quantitative easing is to counter the situation created by an economic slump. Typically, during an economic downturn, the demand for credit goes down and deflation hits. Even though central banks around the world use interest rate manipulation to tackle such situations, QE is usually their last resort.

Points to Know about QE

1. It is a part of a country’s designated monetary policy
2. Even though it existed for a long time, the recession of 2008 saw its implementation on a broader scale.
3. In QE, central banks print new currency to buy assets and inject more cash in the system.
4. It affects the value of a currency
5. It works effectively to counter deflation and stimulate an economy
6. QE is considered as a short-term measure

• Quantitative Easing and Gold

The relationship between QE and gold is inversely proportionate. It means when money is injected into the system, the price of gold goes down. Although extra money makes it seem like the gold prices are soaring, that isn’t the case.

With the implementation of this tactic, the gold prices largely remain the same, grow but at a slower pace, or even go down during certain instances.

Here Quantitative Easing Tapering is also vital to know about. It means when a central bank agrees to stop new currency printing, which results in a shortfall in the system. So, the flow of cash goes down, but the amount of gold remains the same. Hence, the price of gold increases steeply.

Gold holds an impeccable value in terms of quantifying one’s wealth as well as for investment. Thus, judging the quality and purity of gold is of utmost importance, both for buyers and for traders.

Primarily, the gold’s purity is determined through the Karat system that measures the same on a scale from 0 to 24. For instance, a 24 karats gold jewellery contains 100% gold. On the other hand, in a 14K gold jewellery, the percentage of gold is 58.33%, and the rest is other metal or alloy.

The gold purity can be measured both by percentage and parts per thousand. However, to convert the Karat into a percentage, one needs to divide the Karat number by 24 and then multiply it by 100.

Another easy way to determine gold’s purity is by checking the hallmark stamp on gold jewellery. This hallmark includes the authorised logo, date of manufacturing, carat weight or fineness of the gold in question. In several countries, including India, it is mandatory to sell gold jewellery with hallmark stamp. 

Lastly, the traders generally use an electronic gold tester to measure the quality and purity of gold. It shows the result accurately within seconds.

There are several reasons to put your gold to good use. For starters, people are always looking for the best way to generate high returns. On that note, gold has forever been the conservative investor's best avenue for yielding high returns. With the introduction of Gold ETFs and Sovereign Gold Bonds, the demand for gold has been steadily increasing. The top advantage of gold against cash is that the gold gram rate has never dipped below zero in it’s more than 3000-years' history. Gold also functions as a hedge against financial market fluctuations. Hence, whenever there is a recession, people move towards gold. Additionally, gold is a liquid asset, which means you can either sell it or pledge it in exchange for instant cash loan. Unlike physical money, gold is portable and can be stored anywhere. Lastly, identifying high-quality gold does not require expert understanding. Anyone can buy gold according to its purity while the seller's certificate acts as the proof of its purity. 

Karat is the term that is used internationally to indicate the purity of the gold. The karat rate is directly proportional to the purity of the gold. As the karat increases, so does the purity of the gold. The difference between a 24 karat, 22 karat and 18 karat golds are explained below. The 24 karat gold is the purest form of gold that is available. Because of its purity, rather than using it to make jewelry, it is used for investment purposes. The 24 karat gold exists in the form of gold coins or gold bars. The 24 karat gold is followed by the 22 karat gold which is used to make jewelry. The 22 karat gold is a mixture of gold with alloys such as zinc, nickel, or silver. These alloys make the gold harder and fit to be fashioned into jewelry. The purity of the 22 karat gold is 91.67% pure. The 18 karat gold is the cheapest gold that exists. It is a mixture of 75% gold and 25% alloys.