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Gold

Schiff has long been a fan of the yellow metal.

“The problem with the dollar is it has no intrinsic value,” he once said. “Gold will store its value, and you'll always be able to buy more food with your gold."

As always, he’s putting his money where his mouth is.

As of Mar. 31, Euro Pacific Asset Management held 1.645 million shares of Barrick Gold (GOLD), 335,740 shares of Newmont (NEM), and 409,155 shares of Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM).

In fact, the three gold mining giants were the firm’s top three holdings, representing 8.0%, 5.4%, and 5.0% of its portfolio, respectively.

Gold can’t be printed out of thin air like fiat money, and its safe-haven status means demand typically increases during times of uncertainty.

If gold prices go up, miners like Newmont, Barrick, and Agnico will likely enjoy bigger profits.

Recession-proof income stocks

Dividend stocks offer investors a great way to earn a passive income stream, but some can also be used as a hedge against recessions.

Case in point: The fourth-largest holding at Euro Pacific is cigarette giant British American Tobacco (BTI), accounting for 4.6% of the portfolio.

The maker of Kent and Dunhill cigarettes pays quarterly dividends of 68 cents per share, giving the stock an attractive annual yield of 6.2%.

Schiff’s fund also owns over 160,000 shares of Philip Morris International (PM), another tobacco king with a dividend yield of 4.9%. The Marlboro cigarette producer is Euro Pacific’s ninth-largest holding with a portfolio weighting of 3.1%.

The demand for cigarettes is highly inelastic, meaning large price changes only induce small changes in demand — and that demand is largely immune to economic shocks.

If you’re comfortable with investing in so-called sin stocks, British American and Philip Morris might be worth researching further.

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Agriculture

When it comes to playing defense, there’s one recession-proof sector that shouldn’t be overlooked: agriculture.

It’s simple. Whatever happens, people still need to eat.

Schiff doesn’t talk about agriculture as much as precious metals, but Euro Pacific does own 142,052 shares of fertilizer producer Nutrien (NTR).

As one of the world’s largest providers of crop inputs and services, Nutrien is positioned solidly even if the economy enters a major downturn. In Q1, the company generated record net earnings of $1.4 billion.

Nutrien shares are up about 11% in 2022, in stark contrast to the S&P 500’s double-digit decline year-to-date.

Given the uncertainties facing the U.S. economy, investing in agriculture could give risk-averse investors a peace of mind.

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About the Author

Jing Pan

Jing Pan

Investment Reporter

Jing is an investment reporter for MoneyWise. He is an avid advocate of investing for passive income. Despite the ups and downs he’s been through with the markets, Jing believes that you can generate a steadily increasing income stream by investing in high quality companies.

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Disclaimer

The content provided on Moneywise is information to help users become financially literate. It is neither tax nor legal advice, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with respect to the data provided, the timeliness thereof, the results to be obtained by the use thereof or any other matter.