In just three months, gold (Exchange: XAU=) has gone from the trade that works in every kind of market to the trade that doesn't work in any market.

Bullion is off more than 17 percent from an all-time high reached in September as strapped hedge funds and sovereign funds sell the metal to raise funds and the strong U.S. dollar (Intercontinental Exchange US: .DXY) strips it of its safe haven status.

"Gold was a safe haven, a hedge and a speculative trade all at the same time," said Michael Murphy, CEO of Rosecliff Capital, a hedge fund. "Long gold has been a winning trade for years. We expect the selloff in gold to gain momentum into 2012. Traders are finding better hedges, better safe havens, and better speculative commodity plays than long gold."

^Snip - less than 50%.

Read more here:

[link to finance.yahoo.com]

Investors, please invest in alignment with your risk tolerance.