Stocks, Bonds
Gold is up 33 percent this year, outperforming global stocks, commodities and Treasuries as investors bought more bullion and central banks added to their reserves for the first time in a generation. The MSCI All-Country Index of equities has dropped almost 11 percent this year, while the dollar has shed 5 percent against a basket of six major currencies. Treasuries returned 8.1 percent this year, according to data from Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Still, gold prices may slump as much as 30 percent from a record as the dollar "outperforms" its counterparts, damping demand for bullion as an alternative currency, Stanley Crouch, the chief investment officer of Aegis Capital Corp., said Aug. 24.