Physical bullion Gold OR Gold ETF?

Unless you are looking to trade (which is very specialised and risky) I would go for real physical gold and silver. Many of the gold in the ETFs does not exist so if there is a run on the comex there might be a problem. The best way to buy your metal is through a company like goldmoney.com. I would dollar / pound cost average and hold then you don't need to worry about the day-to-day price moves. I certainly would not be shorting gold and silver unless you have deep pockets (millions) and are very nimble in the market. After the summer is over (a weak time for PMs) they will rocket to above 1700 for gold and 40 for silver. As long as Bernancke is in charge of the FED you'll be fine!

My understanding is that ETFs are risky, as the underlying assets are leveraged. If you're in Canada, you can use the closed end mutual funds from Bullion Management Group. No counterparty risk etc. I own some of the stuff and am happy with both the ROI, and the security (SOI?). http://www.bmgbullion.com/bmg_funds.html On a worldwide basis the same company will also store or "deliver to your door" actual bullion bars. See http://www.bmgbullion.com/bmgbullionbars/

here you go ... all the info you need about gold. Thanks