Whether adopting a conservative or aggressive stance, gold can serve as a useful element in an overall investment portfolio, reports the Business Standard.

In conservative portfolios in particular, the reliability of gold as a store of value makes it worthwhile holding a greater percentage of funds in the precious metal, the publication suggests.

Conservative investors are told to consider placing up to a fifth of their finances into gold at any one time.

However, they may want to exceed this figure, given the article's observation that gold "has generally given good returns" even in a recessionary climate.

The article also claims that returns from debt and equity investments are currently "not going anywhere", potentially making gold even more lucrative by comparison.

Earlier in the week, Ashley Coutinho wrote for the Financial Express that gold is cementing its status as the "consistent performer" of all the decade's asset classes following ten years of steady returns.