Is gold different for risk-averse and risk-seeking investors? An empirical analysis of the Shanghai Gold Exchange

International audience; This article aims to study the role of gold quoted on the Shanghai Gold Exchange in the diversification of Chinese portfolios using a mean-risk and stochastic dominance analysis. With the 2004–2014 period, our results show that in general, risk-averse investors prefer not to include gold while risk-seeking investors prefer to include it in their stock–bond portfolios, especially in crisis periods. This result is found to be time-varying but not time-frequency dependent and the inclusion of the risk-free asset does not induce relevant impacts. Furthermore, risk-seekers prefer including gold in an equal-weighted portfolio while risk-averters prefer including gold in efficient portfolios.