Golden spike: Boom times for precious metal

[Dantheman62]

Go-go gold: Latest record prices confound predictions, have Americans turning in heirlooms

By Dave Carpenter, AP Personal Finance Writer
On 6:08 pm EST, Wednesday November 11, 2009

CHICAGO (AP) -- The new gold rush is on.

The price of the precious metal is soaring, hitting a record $1,119 an ounce on Wednesday -- confounding market analysts who thought there was no way gold would remain so expensive when it first cracked the unheard-of $1,000 mark last year.

The remarkable run has implications far beyond savvy investors. In New York's diamond district, more people started showing up late last year to sell their gold, and the crush hasn't let up, said Anthony Iannelli, owner of Iannelli Diamonds.

"They're bringing in jewelry from the '70s and '80s they don't wear anymore," he said. "They're following the news and see prices are high. They realize they have a little cache, and want to take it out of the vault."

Typically, gold is a safe place for investors to park their money, not something they buy to make money. It doesn't earn any interest, and because it's always sought-after, its value tends to be fairly stable.

For example, when gold first reached $1,000 it was in March 2008, shortly after the collapse of investment bank Bear Stearns. Investors bought it up then because they feared for the stability of the financial system.

This time is different. Investors -- think of them as the '09ers -- are buying gold to protect themselves against the falling dollar.

Currencies are weak investments around the world because of record-low interest rates. Foreign banks that hold substantial amounts of U.S. debt, such as China's, want to diversify their holdings.

News earlier this month that India's central bank bought nearly $7 billion worth of gold from the International Monetary Fund triggered a frenzy of gold buying.

The surge has been remarkable. Gold is up 7 percent just this month, and 26 percent for the year. Some forecasters see it going to $1,200, $1,500 or beyond -- unless the buying frenzy comes to a halt.

Some analysts are panning the gold speculation.

"You just don't see increases like this over the short term" that last, says Steve Condon, director of investor advisory services for Truepoint Capital in Cincinnati. "This isn't materially different from gambling."

Nevertheless, people across the country are cashing in. More than 100 people a day now come to sell their gold at Ernest Perry's antique and estate jewelry store in Charlotte, N.C., up significantly in recent weeks.

But the rising price of gold has put a dramatic dent in jewelry sales, already suffering from the recession. Far fewer customers are looking to buy gold jewelry because of the soaring price, Perry said.

"I think it will just about kill the gold jewelry business" if the price rises and remains above $1,500 an ounce, Perry said. He predicted silver would become the primary metal used in jewelry if gold prices drive customers out of the market.

For the most part, though, demand for gold is coming from investors and speculators, not from people who actually want to use it.

Demand for gold for jewelry and for industrial and dental uses was already falling during the second quarter, according to the latest data available from the World Gold Council.

Perry said customers looking to sell their gold should go to dealers with plenty of experience and expect to get, on average, about 70 percent of the current price. And there are other ways to get into gold than selling family heirlooms.

There are gold funds, publicly traded gold mining companies and gold bullion or coins, depending on what makes someone the most comfortable. No way is certain to be the safest or most lucrative.

And of course, there's no guarantee the bubble won't burst.

For the rest of the article...
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Golden...59241.html?x=0

[Truthseeker360]

That's it im selling me teeth.....


Just put them 29 healthiest foods in a blender for me....



Ts360

[Dantheman62]

except milk!

[peaceandlove]

Here is a Commodity that is gaining quickly.

The Most Valuable Commodity is Not Oil or Gold

Monday, October 26, 2009 - 9:50 AM
By: Francisco Bermea

Excerpt:

One thing that will help America meet the new, higher fuel economy standard is more electric vehicles. Mr. Obama is pushing for a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Obama is also fueling demand for electric cars by offering a $7,500 credit to buyers of electric vehicles, such as the Nissan Leaf, which can go 100 miles before using a drop of gasoline.

The secret to these vehicles is their batteries, which use an ultra-light metal that can store more energy than was ever imagined. The metal is "energy dense," yet light enough to be used in cell phones, laptops or electric cars.

The metal is lithium. The price has jumped from $3 a kilogram in 2005 to $10 in 2009. Most of the price increase can be attributed to demand for lithium-ion batteries for portable electronics, which has driven demand for lithium up +25% a year.

Complete Article: http://www.streetauthority.com/node/931

[Northern Boy]

The Most Valuable Commodity is Not Oil or Gold

IT will be water

[BROOK]

Originally Posted by Northern Boy

IT will be water

You got that right

[Dantheman62]

Originally Posted by peaceandlove

Here is a Commodity that is gaining quickly.

The Most Valuable Commodity is Not Oil or Gold

Monday, October 26, 2009 - 9:50 AM
By: Francisco Bermea

Excerpt:

One thing that will help America meet the new, higher fuel economy standard is more electric vehicles. Mr. Obama is pushing for a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Obama is also fueling demand for electric cars by offering a $7,500 credit to buyers of electric vehicles, such as the Nissan Leaf, which can go 100 miles before using a drop of gasoline.

The secret to these vehicles is their batteries, which use an ultra-light metal that can store more energy than was ever imagined. The metal is "energy dense," yet light enough to be used in cell phones, laptops or electric cars.

The metal is lithium. The price has jumped from $3 a kilogram in 2005 to $10 in 2009. Most of the price increase can be attributed to demand for lithium-ion batteries for portable electronics, which has driven demand for lithium up +25% a year.

Complete Article: http://www.streetauthority.com/node/931

Hopefully switching to lithium sulfur soon!

Posted Tue Jun 9, 2009 11:27am PDT




When lithium-ion batteries were first introduced as replacements for older, heavier nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, they offered a breakthrough in greater energy density and lighter weight. This technology has made its way through the field of consumer electronics, and lithium-ion batteries are now ubiquitous. The next step in battery technology may come from the University of Waterloo, where Dr. Linda Nazar is working to develop lithium-sulfur batteries with promising characteristics including three to five times the storage of current lithium-ion batteries.
While most current electric vehicles and hybrids, including the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, use NiMH batteries, lithium-ion is beginning in their next generation as well. The Tesla Roadster uses lithium-ion batteries as will the Chevy Volt. A lithium-sulfur battery of comparable weight for a vehicle could significantly extend its range, allowing for more flexible use in an all-electric mode. Or, with the increased energy density available, a vehicle with a similar range could be made significantly lighter through the use of a much smaller lithium-sulfur battery.
Sulfur is currently a component in other large scale storage systems, such as sodium-sulfur batteries, but those require high temperatures and are better suited to fixed location applications, such as grid storage, rather than for portable use. Lithium-sulfur batteries may make sulfur storage energy available in a more portable form.
The lithium sulfur batteries are created by creating assemblies of carbon nanorods that are coated with molten sulfur to fill the voids. The nanoscale structure sets up conditions to keep the sulfur in contact with the carbon, allowing for the repeated charging and discharging necessary for useful rechargeability.
Lithium sulfur batteries have the potential to significantly reduce the size of batteries because they have a higher energy density than other comparable lithium-based batteries.

“This composite material can supply up to nearly 80 percent of the theoretical capacity of sulphur, which is three times the energy density of lithium transition metal oxide cathodes, at reasonable rates with good cycling stability,” said Dr. Nazar.

Sulfur's availability and low cost may help bring this technology to market. The research team has filed for patents on their process and are working on developing it commercially. According to a press release announcing the research publication, sulfur is a less-expensive material than many others used in lithium-based batteries. "It has always showed great promise as the ideal partner for a safe, low cost, long lasting rechargeable battery, exactly the kind of battery needed for energy storage and transportation in a low carbon emission energy economy."

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/...uple-life.html