We’ll take a look at the reasons there will be increased demand for gold in a minute but let’s start by taking a look at some big players in the market. In past blogs, we’ve mentioned that Middle Eastern and Asian countries are big buyers of gold.

• Qatar has been buying more than a ton of gold every month for three years.
• Russia recently bought more than 15 tons of gold from its mines.
• The Reserve Bank of India bought 200 tons of gold the IMF sold.
• Even tiny Mauritius bought 2 tons of gold in November.
• And then China plans to buy gold: approximately 6,000 tons in five years.

It’s not easy to find this sheer quantity of gold. The supply of gold remains low. New mines are opening but it takes at least five years for a mine to produce at significant levels. With high demand, low supply, and a volatile global market, there’s a good reason that many commodities analysts are predicting significantly higher gold prices for 2012.

• UBS has forecast $2,075 an ounce.
• Barclays has forecast $2,000 an ounce ($35 an ounce for silver).
• Morgan Stanley predicts a range between $1,819 an ounce and $2,085 an ounce.
• HSBC predicts $2,025 an ounce.
• TD Securities predicts $1,975 an ounce.

With the price of gold hovering around the $1,700 an ounce mark for several weeks, it may be a good time to buy gold.

Five Factors Pushing Demand for Gold

1. The financial crisis in Europe over the Eurozone—which looks increasingly likely to lead to printing money…and inflation.
2. Central banks are buying gold as they move away from the dollar.
3. There’s strong demand for gold for jewellery in China, India, and the Middle East.
4. Institutional investors may start buying gold—especially if global equity markets remain stagnant.
5. The spectre of inflation—not just in Europe but all over the world.

With gold prices at approximately $200 an ounce below the high in September and many major financial institutions predicting prices over $2,000 an ounce in 2012, now could be a good time to buy gold.

In the short term, it will be extremely important for people who are considering buying gold to pay close attention to the news coming out of Europe.

“We expect gold prices to increase because of fear of a Eurozone implosion,” said Dennis Hynes, chief market strategist at R.W. Pressprich, told Bloomberg. “The only currency that’s stable in this type of situation is gold.”

At the beginning of 2011, the price of gold was $1,421 an ounce. In mid-November, the price was close to $1,787 per ounce and moving toward $1,800 an ounce. The price of gold has increased, despite a dip in September, because of the world economic situation; the factors influencing the price of gold have essentially remained the same—making it a great time to consider buying gold.

The factors:

• Consistently strong demand for gold from India and China.
• A weak dollar.
• Continued uncertainty (and turmoil) in global equity markets.
• No resolution to debt woes in the United States.
• The Eurozone crisis.

If anything, the demand for gold from India and China has increased and the economic situations have worsened.

At the beginning of the year, certain ‘experts’ were optimistic about the economy. In front of the Senate Budget Committee, United States Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, said the U.S. economy was going to be “moderately stronger in 2011 than it was in 2010.” He went on to predict rampant growth between 3% and 4%. Obviously, a lot needs to happen in the month of December for Bernanke’s predictions to prove prescient.

Thankfully, the economists who help investors decide whether or not to buy gold have been more accurate in their assessment of the world economy—and the price of gold.

In December, CNBC mentioned Goldman Sachs:

“Goldman believes low U.S. interest rates will continue to underpin the rally in commodities like gold. The firm expects the precious metal futures to climb to $1,690 an ounce by the end of 2011 and continue to move higher.

The Bullion Research Desk of Commodity Online on December 22, 2010 said:

“Gold price to hover around $1500-$1600 range in 2011. Gold price will go up in 2011, driven by the fluctuations in US dollar and other currencies, dwindling productions, increasing mining problems and rising demand for jewellery and investment for the yellow metal. Gold price is definitely going to cross the $1500 mark per ounce in 2011 and it will remain in the range of $1500-$1600.”

And late last year, Bloomberg analyzed the gold price predictions of almost 30 investors, analysts, and traders. The ‘average’ prediction was $1,500 per ounce.

So…the ‘gold gurus’ were actually wrong—the price has exceeded their predictions. The factors influencing the price of gold have been more intense and are not going away as the headlines from the Eurozone crisis are proving.

So—is it a good time to buy gold? Remember…JP Morgan predicted a high of $2,500 per ounce by the end of 2011. Will they be correct? With the future of the Euro in serious doubt, gold could easily top $2,000 an ounce.

A lot of people wonder how they can protect their wealth. Super rich and ultra wealthy individuals have been doing it for centuries – investing in HARD ASSETS like gold and silver bullion. This short YouTube video is an expert interview by Exponential Growth Strategist Dr Marc Dussault and Peter August, CEO of The Australian Bullion Company. It’s only 4 minutes long, but reveals what high net worth individuals are doing right now.

Video transcript: Gold and Silver Safe Haven Investments

Hi, I’m Dr Marc Dussault and I’m here with Peter August, Managing Director of Australian Bullion Company.  And as you can see I have a blackberry mobile phone and I have some gold and silver bullion coins and some bars as small as this over here, 20 ounce, 10 ounce, I have a 1 kilo here and a 5 kilo which as you can see is quite heavy.

It has a good feel to it.

I know, I just love doing that and I’m sure you can hear that on the video.  Peter, really in the next 60 to 90 seconds…

Sure.

Why would someone invest in gold or silver bullion compared to the stock market or property market?

Safety, safety, safety; okay, you’ve got the ultimate safety, the ultimate safe haven investments here.

Because it’s physical, because you can touch it, you can go to your safe and take a look at your coins and your bars and you know…

You know how much you’ve got in value.

Yeah. Read more…

A lot of people wonder “Why is the price of gold high and how is the value determined?” This short YouTube video answers this and other interesting investment questions. It’s an expert interview by Exponential Growth Strategist Dr Marc Dussault and Peter August, CEO of The Australian Bullion Company.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: GOLD PRICE AND VALUATION

Hi, I’m Dr Marc Dussault and as you can see its November, it’s 2009 and I’m here with Peter August, Managing Director of the Australian Bullion Company.  And I wanted us to take some time today to explain something that for you is self-evident but for other people out there who are considering gold as an investment what they might not know is that these are actually gold bars and we have 105 ounces of gold right here, which by the way in today’s price is worth how much?

Over 120 thousand.

Over $120,000, so it’s a great compact way to invest.  Now one of the things that we’ve all done as a kid, and Peter you remember your days back when you were a child and you started investing in coins and collecting coins.

Yes.

There’s this thing called the numismatic value of coins.

Sure.

Can you explain what that really big word is for people.

Yeah, absolutely.

Cause I have a coin here, and I have another coin here; so what’s the difference between this one and that one, other than the size?

Sure.  Okay; this particular coin Marc is a 1 ounce gold coin.

Okay.

It’s 4 nines pure so that’s 99.99% pure, and it is bought and sold on it’s intrinsic gold value.

Yeah.  So you’re buying it because it’s 1 ounce?

That’s correct.

Okay.

Now this…

And this by the way is a 1 ounce gold bar.

That’s correct. Read more…

Investors who are new to gold will surely feel the thrill of seeing and holding their first stock of physical gold. Valuable coins and bars have a beauty and lure that that has dazzled monarchs and common folk alike.

Like any commodity, the value of gold rises with demand and falls with supply. But, unlike other commodities, there is a limed supply of gold, you can’t just make more of it. Yes, more can be mined, but not at the rate that it is demanded. And, there is a virtually unlimited amount of demand for gold because of gold’s historic and ever-rising value.

Gold is usually in a strong bull market. The definition of a bull market is one that has gains of 20% or more a year. Since 2000 alone the gold market has had on average gain of 202% per year. Gold has made a fortune for those wise enough to invest.

In 2006 CNN Money did an article on the current ‘gold rush’, but that was nothing compared to the demand that we have seen over the past few years. Anybody that bought during the 2006 ‘rush’ would have made a lot of money during the next rushes that occurred in mid-2008 and again earlier this year.

Why does gold’s value rise so fast?

Well, part of it is the mining issue I mentioned earlier. The world’s mines produce about 2,500 metric tons of gold a year. The world demands between 4,000 and 5,000 metric tons of gold a year. Gold demand outstrips demand by 60% to 100% every year.

The world’s banks were allowed to sell there supply after the end of the gold standard, which was a system that forced countries to back their currency with physical stores of gold. From the mind 1960s to the late 1990s, banks released enough gold to marginally keep up with the worlds demand. By 2001 the banks had run out of their massive stores, and the demand for gold skyrocketed.

Right now is a strategically critical time to invest in gold. The arrival of online trading and increased interest in gold as an investment may eventually bring the market into an equilibrium that results in a higher gold price. Jumping into the market right now means buying gold at price that should prove to be historically low.

Gold can be seen as insurance, it will always be worth something, no matter what else happens in the world. Mighty stocks can plunge to zero, inflation can render the dollar worthless, bond interest rates can fluctuate, but gold will always be valuable.

The gold that you buy today will be able to buy the same amount of goods, if not more, in the future. Your grandchildren and great grandchildren will be able to reap the benefits of your gold investment.

Today’s YouTube video is very short – explaining why gold and silver bullion investment is an ideal choice for wealth protection. Dr Marc Dussault interviews Peter August, CEO of The Australian Bullion Company, to explain why high net worth individuals are buying gold and silver like never before. This is a series of interviews that you can view on our Australian Bullion Company YouTube Channel.

Video transcript: Gold and Silver Bullion For Wealth Protection

Hi, I’m Dr Marc Dussault, and you can see it’s November, we’re in 2009, I’m here with Peter August, the Managing Director of the Australian Bullion Company.

Peter I want to thank you, hello, yes of course.  We’ve been sitting here for about, well I won’t say how long we’ve been doing these tapes but it’s been a great morning here and what we’ve done is we’ve put together a handful of YouTube videos that you can access through clicking the bubbles that you’ll see on the YouTube videos.  And what we’ve done is we’ve explained why you would invest in silver and gold bullion.  And we’ve explained also the difference between numismatic coins, in other words coins that you collect, as well as these bars here that I do know now that these are bars and not coins; and to take you through the process of why you would invest in gold or silver bullion.

Now we’re talking about different things; if you would just summarize, just in one sentence why someone would invest in gold bullion, or silver bullion, compared to anything else, what would that be?

To protect their wealth, their hard earned wealth, in fragile financial times.

And when we say protection we’re talking about an increase of about 10% historically that you’d recommend people have in bullion…

Sure.

In respect to their total value of their asset base, to now about 15 to 20%.  So you’re not saying sell all your stock, sell all your properties, but just increase the proportion of the gold and silver that you have within your portfolios.  Am I right?

Absolutely.  This is your insurance against calamity.  Okay, now I mean 10 years ago the risk of any kind of financial calamity, or geopolitical calamity was quite small so henceforth you had a very low gold price.  But that risk has increased dramatically. Read more…

This week’s video is an expert interview with Peter August of The Australian Bullion Company. Dr Marc Dussault, an Exponential Growth Strategist asks Peter why the gold price is high and why it’s expected to continue to rise in the future. If you’re interested in growing your wealth and protecting your investment portfolio, this 40minute YouTube video reveals what the rich and ultra wealthy are doing…

Video Transcript: GOLD PRICE HIGH

Hi, I’m Dr Marc Dussault and I’m here with Peter August, CEO and Managing Director of Australian Bullion Company. And we’re here videotaping a series of YouTube videos to explain certain things about gold investment. And this particular video is focused on why the price of gold has gone up so much, so quickly, at least in the eyes of the public.

This is an ounce of gold, about a year ago how much was this worth? Actually back in 2000 and in US dollars, how much was this worth in more or less the year 2000?

Okay. In more or less the year 2000 this was worth US$258.

So US$258.

That’s the low point that gold got to.

About a year ago how much was this same $258 asset that was purchased in 2000?

In US dollars it was about $800.

About $800; so from 250 to 800. Now how much is this worth today, November 2009, in US dollars?

It’s actually just at an all time high right now, so it’s $1,116. Read more…

Peter August was recently interviewed by Exponential Growth Strategist Dr Marc Dussault for a series of YouTube videos explaining gold and silver investment strategies and why anyone who wants to increase their wealth should consider gold and silver bullion to protect their investment portfolio. Today’s 4-minute video briefly explains the reasons to invest in gold.

Reasons to Invest In Gold

Video Transcript: REASONS TO INVEST IN GOLD

Hi, I’m Dr Marc Dussault and I’m here with Peter August of Australian Bullion Company.  And the reason we created this YouTube video is I’ve been talking with Peter for quite a while that a lot of people think that gold investment is only for rich people.  So we just want to take 2 or 3 minutes very briefly and you’re gonna see the big words that Peter is gonna be pulling out of the thesaurus today.

I’ll try to keep them small.

Now this is just take 2 of this YouTube video by the way and take 1 was quite funny; and we went through a few points but let’s get started.  First of all there are 105 ounces here on the table and you can see the size cause this is just a regular blackberry mobile phone.  This is 20, 20, 20, 10, 10, 10, 10 and this is five 1 ounce gold coins.

Gold bars.

I’m sorry, gold bars.  So this is what it actually looks like, that’s what it sounds like.  And it’s actually very heavy; it’s an amazing thing to actually touch.  How much is this actually worth by the way?  What we actually have on the table here.

We’ve got well over $120,000. Read more…

The Australian Bullion Company’s very own Peter August was interviewed on television recently. Watch the YouTube version of the interview to find out why the Gold Price is on the rise and why it’s expected to keep increasing based on expected global demand…

Peter August On The Gold Price

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: GOLD INVESTMENT TV INTERVIEW

It has soared to record highs on news that India’s Central Bank has bought 200 tons of it from the International Monetary Fund.  The 6.7 billion dollar purchase over the last 2 weeks of October surprised the markets.

It was the biggest single central bank purchase over such a short period in the last 30 years.  The price of gold jumped by more than US$30 to an all time high of $1,087 an ounce.  The country has until now has been the biggest consumer of the precious metal, primarily because of its deep seated affection for jewelry and gold ornaments.  Experts say India’s interest in diversifying into bullion is a sign that gold’s run has only just begun.

For a while there had been a sort of a philosophy that gold no longer was relevant in a modern society, but with all the printing of money that is going on around the world gold has become the ultimate safe haven and has become the safe asset of choice, not only by individuals but by central banks.

The change of attitude appears to be due to a shift in strategy by investors to hedge against a weaker dollar and the threat of inflation.  It also heightens speculation that there may be more official purchases.

The Chinese we know are very worried about holding so much US denominated debt and cash.  You’ve got the Middle East petro dollars that need to be recycled into a store of wealth that they can rely upon.  There’ll be no shortage of takers.

The IMF plans to sell about 400 metric tons of gold this year in an effort to shore up its finances and increase lending to developing countries.  India’s purchase represents about half of that amount.  The question now is who will buy the rest of the IMF gold.

Neena Mairata, World News, Australia.

We have just written our first Unique Selling Proposition – in other words, what makes us different, special, unique – how and what we sell and the value proposition we offer our valued clients. Of course this is always a work in progress, but we’d love to hear what you think of it.

The Australian Bullion Company’s Unique Selling Proposition

Since 1972, the Australian Bullion Company has shown Australians,HOW to beat the ravages of inflation, INCREASE their personal wealth by OUTPERFORMING the ASX with LESS RISK leveraging OVER 37 YEARS of precious metals bullion investment EXPERTISE in the ‘SAFE HAVEN’ and most stable hard assets – GOLD and SILVER – With one phone call we can take care of all the transactional details and bank vault SAFE storage requirements you need to secure and protect your wealth portfolio with total privacy and confidentiality.