BlackRock World Gold Fund Aimed at U.S. Investors

BlackRock is promoting its first U.S. gold mutual fund, the BlackRock World Gold Fund, aimed at both retail and institutional investors. The fund is managed by gold and natural resources specialists Evy Hambro and Catherine Row.

The firm has also shaven the expense ratio on its exchange-traded iShares Comex Gold Trust by 0.40% to 0.25%.

Echoing the sentiments of Morningstar ETF strategist Paul Justice, who calls gold a "six-thousand-year-old" story, Hambro says: "Gold has been a serious safe haven for thousands of years. In today's unstable environment, gold is coming back into people's minds as the place to be....We are building out investment opportunities to our clients."

Robert Fairbain, head of BlackRock's global client group, added: "The increased accessibility to the gold market, the decline in gold production since 2001, and a shift in Central Bank strategy toward accumulating rather than selling gold reserves -- have all been instrumental in supporting the upward trend in the price of gold over the past nine years."

Money Management Executive's take: BlackRock foresees the upward trend in the price of gold continuing. Given Hambro's delivery of 17% YTD returns on the BlackRock Gold and General Fund -- compared with the MSCI Gold Index 11% YTD rise -- investing in gold is worth consideration.

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