Here's Why You Should Stay Away From Gold ETFs

Here’s Why You Should Stay Away From Gold ETFs by Jeff Clark, Hard Assets Alliance

On March 4, BlackRock, the sponsor of the gold ETF iShares Gold Trust (IAU), announced it had temporarily suspended issuance of new shares in the fund. The sponsor admitted it had failed to register the new shares with the SEC as exchange traded commodity funds are required to do. The snafu was due to an “administrative oversight,” it was later explained.

BlackRock was quick to add that IAU shares continued to trade without interruption in spite of the suspension. Nevertheless, the reality is that management lost administrative control over the fund and violated SEC regulations. As a consequence, BlackRock faces fines and penalties from...