Gold

Analysis and Comment (6)

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As the price of gold continues to plunge, many investors are wondering whether the shiny commodity has lost its lustre. Flickr\Bullion Vault

A bear in there: the fading fortunes of the gold market

By Richard Heaney, University of Western Australia

It has been a turbulent time for the gold market. The past two days of trading have been particularly volatile, with gold prices recording the sharpest two-day drop in 30 years . The severity of the fall…
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Gold and silver are traditionally considered “safe havens”. Image sourced from shutterstock.com

Explainer: what are safe haven investments?

By Richard Heaney, University of Western Australia

Safe haven investments are investments that provide a low level of risk during periods of extreme economic uncertainty. The problem is that a safe haven investment is a safe haven investment until it…
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Some Republicans may be yearning for a return to the gold standard, but the idea has lost its lustre among the vast majority of economists. Image from www.shutterstock.com

The gold standard of truthiness: a bad idea that feels good (to some Republicans)

By Wesley Widmaier, Griffith University

A few years back, mock-conservative TV pundit Stephen Colbert famously introduced the notion of “truthiness” into the political lexicon. As Colbert put it, truthiness pertains not to whether beliefs are…
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Australia’s mining companies have intensified their exploration of resources in Indonesia, much to the detriment of local communities. Jeff Lewis

The Australian assault on Indonesia’s riches

By Jeff Lewis, RMIT University and Belinda Lewis, Monash University

Not satisfied with the abundance of our own natural resources, Australian mining companies have spread their interests across the region. Many of these ventures— Ok Tedi, Bougainville, Freeport-Grasberg…
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During the Great Depression, policymakers had an irrational – and detrimental – attachment to the gold standard. Should we be worried about the similar fervour for a strong euro? BullionVault

When it comes to solving the euro’s woes, it’s the same gold story

By Wesley Widmaier, Griffith University

Are the tragedies of the 1920s repeating themselves in the twenty-first century? In the 1920s, an irrational attachment to the gold standard helped cause the Great Depression, as European fears of inflation…
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Uncertainty about the US economy is driving investors back to the safe-haven metal. AAP

Explainer: Why gold is still precious for investors

By Richard Heaney, University of Western Australia

The price of gold reached a record high of $US1607.01 an ounce on Tuesday as investors turn to the precious metal amid uncertain global economic conditions. University of Western Australian Professor…

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