The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has an “inflation calculator” on their website. It allows you to enter an amount of money and a previous year and then tells you how much money you would need to have today to match the same buying power.

Just for kicks, I put the year 1980 in the calculator to see what would come out. If you had $25 then, you would need $64.54 today to purchase the same goods and services. If you had $5,000 then, you would need $12,907 to have the same buying power today. Read the full story

There are a lot of reasons why investors and institutions buy gold. It has no counterparty risk. It’s the premier hedge against inflation. And it’s a safe haven in a sea of financial turmoil.

But there is really only one reason why the price is going up… because the demand for the metal is significantly outpacing the supply. And every indication points to the situation becoming even more acute in the months and years ahead. Read the full story