Whether you're a new or tenured investor, this has been a challenging year. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic initially clobbered the stock market and sent the broad-based S&P 500 to a 34% loss in just 33 calendar days. But the steepest bear market decline in history was met with the most ferocious rebound of all time. It took less than five months for the widely followed index to regain everything that was lost and push to new highs.
However, big losses and exacerbated downside vacillations haven't been an issue for physical gold and gold stocks, which are among 2020's top performers.
Physical gold is up nearly 29% on a year-to-date basis, trouncing the 5.3% return for the S&P 500. Gold is also outperforming the S&P 500 on a trailing 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year basis.