Wall Street investor Jim Rogers’ India lesson: Always own some gold and silver

Veteran investor and author Jim Rogers, known for his long-term contrarian bets and the book Street Smarts: Adventures On The Road And In The Markets, believes precious metals remain an essential part of any serious investor’s portfolio — even after their recent rally and bouts of volatility.

Speaking in an interview with ET Now, Rogers said he does not get swayed by short-term price swings in any market, including gold and silver. “I try to be a long-term investor. I buy when things are depressed and hold for many years,” he said, adding that while he is not buying precious metals at current levels, he is also not selling them.

Own them, but wait for the right price

Rogers revealed that he already owns both gold and silver, but prefers to add only when prices correct meaningfully.


“Gold and silver have been going straight up. I am not buying now, but I am not selling either. If they go down, I hope I am smart enough to buy more,” he said.

Between the two metals, Rogers currently prefers gold over silver, mainly because silver has surged more sharply in recent months. “Gold is a little cheaper right now. Silver went up a lot recently, so if I had to choose today, it would be gold,” he noted.

The big driver: debt and money printing

What underpins Rogers’ long-term bullishness on precious metals is not technical charts, but global macro fundamentals. He believes that rising government debt and aggressive money printing will ultimately drive gold and silver higher over the coming years.

“Gold and silver are going to go higher over the next few years because the world is running up huge debt and printing lots of money,” Rogers said. “Governments borrow money, governments print money, and governments spend money. The outlook for gold and silver keeps getting better and better.”

According to him, this combination of debt and monetary expansion weakens paper currencies over time and strengthens the case for hard assets such as precious metals.

‘Everyone should own some gold and silver’

Rogers stressed that owning gold and silver is not about making quick profits, but about protecting wealth over long cycles. “Everybody should own some gold and silver. That is one of the things I learned in India long ago,” he said.

He also expects demand for precious metals to rise structurally in the coming decades. “The world is going to have gigantic needs for gold and silver in the next couple of decades. The world is getting in much worse shape,” he warned.

A patient investor’s play

Despite his positive long-term outlook, Rogers remains disciplined about timing. He reiterated that he only buys when assets are out of favour. “I like to buy low and sell high. I buy when things are depressed,” he said, applying the same philosophy to Indian equities as well as precious metals.

For now, his strategy on gold and silver is clear: hold existing positions, wait for meaningful corrections, and add more only when prices fall. “Please do not sell your gold and silver,” Rogers advised. “If they go down, I hope I am smart enough to buy more.”

In a world grappling with rising debt, aggressive money creation and geopolitical uncertainty, Rogers believes gold and silver will continue to play a crucial role — not as speculative trades, but as long-term stores of value in an increasingly fragile global financial system.