Protection and profit from gold and silver – these are the twin benefits that investors get from these two dynamic metals.

Let’s take the first benefit: It has been historically proven that gold and silver do not have problems with inflation and other economic ailments, very much unlike traditional assets such as stocks, bonds, equities and bank savings, among others. When the economy goes bad, investments in paper assets get threatened. Investors begin to look somewhere else for a safer investment to stop the bleeding of their resources. The first and primary objective, therefore, is protection. Experience has shown countless investors that precious metals, notably gold and silver, have the proper credentials to provide the necessary protection to investment funds.

If there are investments available that will provide their funds not just protection but also opportunities for better yield, that investment will be ideal.

Let’s now take the secondary benefit – profit. From experience we have learned that the twin benefits of protection and profit have become inseparable in gold and silver investments. They have always gone together. While their funds are safe and amply protected, investors take advantage of the up and down movements of the prices of these two precious metals to make substantial profit.

At the height of the economic crisis during the decade of 2000-2009, gold and silver made one of their best performances ever. Gold jumped from about $270 an ounce in 2000 to a record-setting &1104 in 2009, more than four times. Silver on other hand, soared from $4.95 an ounce in 2000 to reach $16.99 an ounce in 2009, more than three times.

To learn more about how gold and silver give your investment the right protection and opportunities for profit, contact goldsilver.org.

Shannon King

Like the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century investors from around the world are caught in the grip of the new gold fever. Seeking a safe haven from Dollar weakness, Managed funds and private investors alike are adding the precious metal to their investment portfolio’s in record volume.

A theme is emerging for managed money, which is the growing role of hard assets. Martin Murenbeeld [of DundeeWealth Economics] emphasized that $40 trillion of about $117 trillion worth of financial assets in the world is so-called managed money. In other words, one-third of the worlds assets are controlled by fund managers. Of this $40 trillion, only about $200 billion is in what you would call hard assets such as gold, silver, copper, commodity ETFs, futures. These are the sort of instruments linked to raw materials.

Martin suggests that the trend is going from this relatively small sum to nearly $1.3 trillion. Meaning that approximately 3% of the managed money going into hard assists such as Gold and Silver. Should this happen, there’s not near enough Gold at the current prices.

Gold, like all commodities derive their price based off of supply and demand. If Martin is correct, and many analysts believe he is, Gold spot price could reach as high as $1500 in the very near future. Some Analysis are speculating that we will see gold spot prices reach the $3000 marker by the end of 2010, and my even see $5000 as early as mid 2011.

If you would like more information on the future of Gold spot pricing, and how the hard assets could positively impact your investment portfolio, contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable Gold experts.

Kirk Sandler

The following is a brief overview on gold and silver spot prices so far this year, for the benefit of novice, and experienced investors alike.

Early January saw the gold spot price at around $1120, to $1130 levels, but increased to high $1150 per troy-ounce levels on Jan 11th. Gold prices fluctuated slightly below the $1140 range until Jan 18th, when the spot price declined to low $1080 per ounce levels. January ended with gold at just above $1080 levels, and even saw an increase to just under $1120 per troy-ounce levels on February 3rd. The gold spot price plunged all the way to $1060 levels on February 5th, but has since steadily climbed back to above $1100, and was at $1114.40 an ounce, as of 3:30, EST.

Silver started the month of January at just above $17 per troy-ounce, and climbed steadily to just under $19 an ounce on January 12th, when the spot price hovered around $18.50, where it fluctuated mildly until till January 20th. The silver spot price then began to decline, reaching near $15 per troy-ounce levels, before resuming its’ ascent at the month’s end. The silver spot price is currently $16.41 per troy-ounce, and projections for silver are bullish, as problems with the dollar and the euro remain unresolved, and uncertainty over the IMF’s (International Monetary Fund) surplus bullion lingers.

Gold and silver investments are commonly used to preserve and grow wealth during long, uncertain periods of economic hardship. Those who are considering a precious metals investment can avoid paying exploitive retail prices for their gold and silver bullion, and rare coin by contacting one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on these items to household investors like you.

Shannon King

When the gold spot price sank to a low of $1087.70 this morning, a great many individuals were no doubt wondering, “Is the gold and silver cycle over?” Their answer soon became evident when the spot price began to climb, and eventually regained $1100 per troy-ounce levels, reaching as high as $1110.50, before leveling off at around $1107 later on. Silver also continues to teeter between $15 and $16 per troy-ounce levels. The dollar showed more signs of life against the euro by reaching 81.02 on the index, but there are too many uncertainties in the global economy presently, to prompt thoughts that the gold and silver cycle is over.

The economic world still awaits word from Ben Bernanke, or some other Federal Reserve official, about raising interest rates in the near future. The Reserve Chairman instead focused on Greece’s economic crisis, and the Fed’s intentions of investigating alleged corporate misdoings pertaining to that nation’s financial woes. Raised interest rates would ultimately be likely to stimulate the gold spot price, and silver prices also tend to increase, as investors diversify their precious metals.

There is also the matter of the not-yet-sold gold that the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is currently holding, with the rumor mill split between India and China, as the two most likely buyers. The yet to be purchased bullion (191.3 tonnes) represents approximately five percent of the annual global gold demand, so a buy of such magnitude could also propel the gold spot price substantially.

Investors are encouraged to complete their research, and then to contact one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on gold and silver bullion, and rare coin to household investors like you.

Shannon King

A great many precious metals investors are wondering if maintaining low interest rates will negatively affect gold and silver prices. This is a valid question, although it may not be necessary to ponder much longer. It’s true that gold and silver prices have declined recently, but all eyes and ears will be on Capitol Hill this Thursday, as the Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke is scheduled to testify before Congress on the Reserve’s monetary policies and practices

Since interest rates have been held so close to zero for so long, many believe that it’s impossible to repress them for much longer. Rising interest rates generally threaten dollar values, which have been struggling for supremacy over the euro. Gold and silver prices historically move oppositely to dollar values, as declining dollars primarily propel gold prices, and demand for silver increases, as precious metals investors diversify their holdings.

There also exists a surplus of 191.3 tonnes of gold bullion that the IMF is looking to unload. This apparent surplus of bullion could be creating the appearance that global demand for gold is down, when in truth, the Reserve Bank of India is presumed to be looking to purchase the bullion, although no Reserve officials would go on record as saying so. India has no domestic gold producers of her own, so it’s likely that the RBI is closely monitoring economic conditions to capitalize on the best IMF bullion buy available.

Those with questions over gold and silver prices are encouraged to contact one of our friendly precious metals specialist, who offer institutional discounts on gold and silver bullion, and rare coin to household investors like you.

Shannon King

The silver spot price recently took a dive from over $17 per ounce to sub-$16 levels, but this dip hasn’t deterred investors from considering the white metal. On the contrary, many investors are now wondering if silver is a better investment than gold.

Gold ran up to $1226 in December of 2009, and many investors had to cross the yellow metal off the wish list because the per-ounce price was too expensive for them, and buying portions of ounces sometimes means heaping on tremendous premiums that get passed from the manufacturer to the distributor to the dealer and finally to the consumer. While silver isn’t as closely tied to the US dollar as gold is, the “poor man’s gold” does tend to move in the opposite direction of the dollar index the majority of the time.

However, storing silver can sometimes be a hassle, because you need about 70 times the space to store silver as you do for gold. There is also the problem that, in a national financial emergency, some vendors may be unwilling to accept silver and may only accept gold as a form of payment. This is all speculation, of course, since the situation that our nation is now facing is brand new to anyone who didn’t live through the Great Depression.

Silver is somewhat more speculative than gold because silver’s industrial uses are more volatile, so security seekers are encouraged to do their utmost to invest in gold instead of silver if they have to choose. Diversification is always important, and some experts recommend up to a 70/30 split between gold and silver. To see if you should invest in silver or gold or possibly both, contact GoldSilver.org directly and our trained specialists can help you to evaluate your portfolio.

Experienced investors know that the worth of certified gold and silver coins, is initially determined by their status as either rare, or bullion coin. Government-issued bullion coins generally carry prices that hover a bit above the current gold spot price, while rare gold and silver coins command much higher premiums.

The reason why certified rare gold and silver coins are so costly is because they possess numismatic value, which generally appreciates over time. The world’s two most reputable rare, gold and silver coin numismatic certification companies are the PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service), and the NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation). The PCGS pioneered modern rare coin numismatic certification back in 1986, and the NGC, which is the official certification company of the ANA (American Numismatic Association), was incepted one year later. This web-logger recommends only these two certification companies to prospective buyers, as more obscure certifications could likely fetch a disappointing liquidation price in the future.

Each of these companies uses their own team of rare coin experts to individually examine, and “mint state grade” each gold and silver coin, which is based on a 70-point “Sheldon Scale”. This numismatic grade for investment-quality rare, gold and silver coins usually ranges between 61, and 66, and ultimately determines the worth of certified gold and silver coins.

Novice investors are hereby warned to avoid paying for PCGS, or NGC-certification for modern bullion coins, and to always conduct background checks on any precious metal dealer that they are considering.

Those who have completed their research can avoid paying outrageous retail prices for their gold and silver bullion, and rare coins by contacting one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on these coins to household investors like you.

Shannon King

Gold coin prices are most immediately determinate on a given coin’s status as either bullion, or rare gold coin, with rare gold coins commanding exceptionally high premiums, and bullion coins carrying prices that are slightly higher than the current gold spot price. Modern bullion coins contain exactly one troy-ounce of pure gold, which makes them ideal for tracking the current gold spot price, and their absence of numismatic value also makes them commonly used potential profit vehicles.

Government-approved bullion coins can also be used as long-term, gold-backed IRA contributions, which include 22-karat American Eagles, along with various 24-karat bullion coinages. Even though 22, and 24-karat bullion coins are of differing purities, they still both contain a full troy-ounce of pure gold, with 24-karat bullion coins naturally commanding slightly higher premiums.

Rare gold coins command considerably higher premiums than their numismatically devoid counterparts, and wise investors officially certify their long-term rare coin holdings with official “mint state grades”. Since gold traders refer to these grades at liquidation time, it is wise to only use either the PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service), or the NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), for rare coin numismatic certification, since gold traders hold these two rare coin-assaying companies in the highest regard.

Investors who have completed their research, can avoid paying exploitive retail prices for their bullion, and rare gold coin by contacting one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on these items to household investors like you.

Shawn Cunningham

For the benefit of novice, and experienced gold investors, the ascending order of gold bullion prices follows as such: 24-karat Bullion bars, 22-karat bullion coins, 24-karat bullion coins, 22-karat proof coins, and 24-karat, ultra-high proof coins.

Both novices, and experienced precious metals investors alike, are hereby reminded that both 22, and 24-karat bullion coins each contain a full troy-ounce of pure gold, but that the 24-karat purity of coins like American Buffalos, or Canadian Maple Leafs, carry higher premiums that 22-karat American Eagles, or South African Krugerrands. Since bullion is completely devoid of numismatic value, its’ prices generally hover slightly above the current gold spot price, which represents the cost of one troy-ounce of pure gold.

Any investor, who is considering using gold bullion prices to start a gold-backed IRA, should know that American Eagles are the only 22-karat bullion that is government-approved for such usage, along with 24-karat bullion bars and coins. (Rare coins are also disallowed for precious metal IRAs).

Premiums for proof coins escalates a bit, as they require a special minting process, which produces a nearly impossible-looking effect, where the coin’s designs seem to float just above a mirror-like background, or “field”. 24-karat ultra-high proofs are even more stunning, and thus command even slightly higher premiums.

Investors are encouraged to complete their research, and then to contact one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on these, and many other items to household investors like you.

Shawn Cunningham

The philosophy of using rare coins for long-term wealth protection is a sound one, especially since gold prices have been rising since 2001, and the numismatic value that rare coins have, can appreciate much more dramatically than the gold spot price. This economic trend was demonstrated throughout the inflationary cycle of the 1970s, and today’s savvy investors are taking a page out of history, to preserve their wealth in today’s even more tumultuous financial atmosphere.

It costs considerably more to invest in rare coin as opposed to bullion, which generally commands prices that hover above the current gold spot price (which represents the cost of one troy-ounce of pure gold), but since rare coins are a long-term investment, it makes more sense to let numismatic value do the work that bullion simply cannot. For these reasons, today’s serious long-term investors are purchasing Double Eagles, which contain almost a full troy-ounce of pure gold, but far greater numismatic worth. This inherent worth was demonstrated in spades during the 1970s, as certain $20 Lady Liberty, and $20 Saint Gaudens, 22-karat rare coins (also known as Double Eagles) appreciated by nearly 1000%.

Since this historic numismatic appreciation coincided with such an abysmal, long-term economic cycle, prospective buyers are strongly advised to only purchase rare gold coins, whose numismatic value has been officially certified by either the PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service), or the NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation). www.pcgs.com, www.ngccoin.com.

Thoroughly researched investors can avoid paying outlandish retail prices for their certified rare gold coinage by contacting one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on these coins to household investors like you.

Shawn Cunningham