Safe Haven
Also called: safe haven asset, flight to quality, flight to safety
A safe haven is an asset investors buy when they are frightened, which is defined by behaviour in crises rather than by any intrinsic property. US Treasuries, the dollar, the Swiss franc, the yen and gold have played the role most consistently. The status is neither permanent nor guaranteed: a haven works because everyone believes it will, and in an inflation shock the classic bond haven fails precisely when it is needed.
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