Sponsored by Gold prices

Mutual funds and other vehicles that purport to help investors fight inflation are the most popular new investment strategy being adopted by corporate retirement plans, according to a new survey released on Thursday.

Gold prices rallied more than 2 percent to a record highs on Friday as investors sought refuge from a second day of hefty losses on the stock markets, hurt by deepening concerns over slowing economic growth and the outlook for euro zone banks.

Gold is trading at $1,500, an important psychological level and near the all-time nominal high. Whether or not gold will go to new heights largely depends on monetary policy, according to some experts.

Gold Prices at Tuesday morning's London Fix hit record Euro and Pound Sterling highs - €1078.85 and £942.22 per ounce respectively. The US Dollar ticked lower after a Federal Reserve official suggested monetary policy may remain loose for an extended period.

Spot Gold prices rose for the second day running in London on Tuesday, reclaiming half of last week's 7% drop from the all-time Dollar high as world stock markets rallied again with commodity prices.

Investors around the world, more so the Chinese, are buying up gold assets to cover against rising inflation risk, macroeconomic uncertainties, a possible currency doom and the ever worsening U.S. debt scenario. The gargantuan demand from China can cause the yellow metal's prices to skyrocket, analysts feel. If the Chinese buying trend is ably supplemented with a fall in the value of dollar, this could result in a skyrocketing of prices.

The Silver Price rallied to $38.00 at Monday's London Fix – rising over 11% from Friday lunchtime's Fix – before also slipping back to trade 26% below late April's 3-decade record.

Silver Bullion rallied from a drop below $34 per ounce, the fifth daily plunge running and some 31% below last Thursday's new three-decade high. Dollar prices to Buy Gold whipped in a $10 range Friday morning in London, trading up to $1488 per ounce - some 5.5% below Monday's record-high spike- as European equities and global commodities stemmed their losses.

Commodity prices fell once again, and Silver Bullion sank for the fourth day in succession, losing 22.5% against the Dollar since Thursday last week - the sharpest plunge since April 1987.

U.S. stocks declined in early trade on Wednesday as weaker-than-expected ADP private sector employment report and mixed corporate earnings weighed.

Record high gold prices have fuelled investment in gold mining and exploration around the world. This is particularly true in the case of the Yukon region which is home to some of the largest gold miners.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a lower opening on Wednesday, ahead of economic data including ADP national employment report and ISM non-manufacturing index.

Gold prices hit new all-time Dollar highs at the AM London Fix on Tuesday, but silver traded near a two-week low as world stock markets slipped and commodity prices fell hard.

The Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a report that there was strong possibility of silver hitting $80 an ounce, causing ripples in the silver stock and ETF markets.

Even as silver prices are hovering near their all-time record high, there are some investors who ardently believe prices will continue to go upward. And then, there are people who think it's realistically possible that silver will breach an unbelievable $100 an ounce!

The take away from Bernanke's comments yesterday should allay any fears that the Federal Reserve will be lifting interest rates any time soon.

Prices to Buy Gold rose but silver held flat in Asian and London trade on Wednesday, while the Dollar fell, European equities rose, but peripheral Eurozone debt sank to new record lows.

Gold prices shot up to a new record of $1,512.50 an ounce in New York late on Friday, posting a record weekly gain and maintaining a six-week winning streak. What the gold rally means to the dollar and the American people is obvious from the rush pawn shops see across the United States.

Silver Prices extended their Dollar gains to 7.7% for this week alone, also reaching new multi-decade and all-time highs vs. the world's other major currencies.

Spot Gold jumped to a new all-time high of $1489 per ounce in Asian trade Monday, edging lower as the Dollar rose on the currency market and global equities began the Easter-shortened week with a 0.5% drop.

Gold stayed above $1480 per ounce in Asian and European trading, and then experienced a sudden spike $15 upwards to new record prices yet again at the beginning of the New York trading session. Prices take support from worries over euro zone debt and inflation in Asia after China opted to raise reserve requirements again.

Prices to Buy Silver and gold jumped at the start of Asian trade on Friday, hitting new 31-year and all-time Dollar records respectively, as Beijing reported a surge in China's growth and inflation rates.

The Gold Price rose early Monday in London, nearing last week's high of $1439 per ounce as energy prices led a surge in commodity prices and Silver Bullion jumped 1.9% to fresh 31-year highs.

Prices to Buy Gold rose above $1418 per ounce Friday lunchtime in London, reversing this week's earlier 2.4% drop as crude oil fell and world stock markets rose further after news of an immediate cease-fire by the Gaddafi regime in Libya, prompted by the United Nations' no fly zone agreement.

What's your true level of risk today? No idea. But the least your fund manager, advisor or favorite financial columnist can do today is remember the lesson of 2007, and highlight the range of risks and possible fall-out which might lie ahead. Take inflation, for instance. Though small, the risk of currency devaluation and hyper-inflation in the developed West is still materially underpriced by gold bullion

Gold Bullion prices jumped at the start of Asian trade on Monday, gaining 1% against all major currencies as news broke that a third nuclear reactor north-east of Tokyo has gone into meltdown following last week's Japanese tsunami.

Gold-buying prices held at two-week lows vs. the Dollar in London on Friday, as the US currency jumped and world stock markets sank after a powerful tsunami hits the Japanese coast 190 miles north-east of Tokyo.

China should increase its gold reserves appropriately, and must take every chance to buy, especially when Gold Prices fall, said Li Yining, a senior economist at Peking University and an advisor to the national parliament's Political Consultative Committee, quoted today by Beijing's official Xinhua News Agency.

Gold was little changed near $1,410 an ounce on Monday but notched its biggest monthly gain since August as chaos in Libya and rising tensions across the Middle East prompted investors to buy the metal as a safe haven. The US dollar lost its status and is at November lows.