Gold is a globally traded asset and held in large quantities by investors and central banks. Since there is no established model to assess whether the price of gold is overvalued or undervalued, we propose a relative valuation framework based on gold price ratios. This idea is not confined to gold but offers the foundation for relative valuation of a broad range of different assets or asset classes. We analyze gold prices relative to commodity prices, consumer prices, stock prices, dividend, and bond yields and find that the relative value of gold varies significantly over time. An analysis of the factors which drive these variations demonstrates that inflation expectations and uncertainty have a strong influence on gold ratios while macroeconomic fundamentals are less important. More specifically, a boost in confidence decreases the relative price of gold while heightened uncertainty increases the relative price of gold, which confirms the role of gold as a safe haven.

The prior literature disregards the time-varying conditional correlation and its importance for portfolio diversification when it assesses the risk-return profile of fine wine with that of stocks. To address this limitation, this paper applies a dynamic conditional correlation model and examines the co-movements between fine wine and stock prices in the United Kingdom (UK). Based on monthly data from January 2001 to February 2014, we find that fine wine is a hedge against movements in UK stocks. Nevertheless, it cannot act as an effective safe haven during market turmoil. Those findings have noteworthy implications for financial advisors and portfolio managers who are interested in alternative investments. (JEL Classifications: G1, G11, Q1, Q14)