A viewer asks about selling versus holding onto gold in a downturn: “What timing options can people consider beyond simply holding for the long term? I gather the word is that the drop will be sudden and you could just be too late, but would it be a good idea to sell right after the massive US power blackouts hit? I know there would be gaps in internet and stock market services for a time.” What can we tell him?

What you describe may well be possible, that even if gold is in a downturn, acting quickly to move into cash might preserve gains over the past year or so, at least in part, and still keep you money ahead in order to rebuy at a lower level after a bottoming of the gold price. This is up to your discretion and at your risk, because this is an open-ended scenario that can have variations, twists and turns, and complex circumstances and it will not apply to everyone. People have differing levels of discernment so as to know when the major financial downturn is truly underway, and might take action prematurely and then regret it if there is a quick rebound in price because of a false alarm, so to speak. There are many things that cannot be predicted with certainty. There might even be a surge in gold briefly, at the commencement of a downdraft of the market in general. But we can tell you it would not be long-lasting. The problem with all of these strategies is having self-discipline to do the critical things within a critical window of time and not give in to fear and emotion, and act too quickly. Again, the overarching need is to be sure to be invested in the precious metal prior to the gold reset taking place, no matter what comes before in the way of volatility. Anyone who is invested now will only gain further.