Axel Merk

Axel Merk is the Founder, President and Chief Investment Officer of Merk Investments, manager of the Merk Funds. Mr. Merk is an expert on macro trends, hard money, international investing and on building sustainable wealth. An authority on currencies, he is a pioneer in the use of strategic currency investing to seek diversification. Mr. Merk founded Merk Investments in Switzerland in 1994 by pooling the investments he had been managing for his friends starting in college. In 2001 he relocated the business to California, and Merk Investments became a SEC-registered investment advisory firm. In 2005 Merk Investments launched its first mutual fund, the Merk Hard Currency Fund. Mr. Merk’s investment philosophy can be best described as an integration of quantitative and qualitative analysis based on the knowledge and experience gained from decades of primary research and direct investment experience. Mr. Merk is a sought-after speaker and author on topics ranging from the economy, gold and currencies, to sustainable wealth and personal finance, as well as a regular guest and contributor to the business media around the world. He is author of the 2009 book Sustainable Wealth. Mr. Merk holds a B.A. degree in economics (magna cum laude) and a M.Sc. in computer science from Brown University.