10 key points about gold
1.- It costs 7.8c to create a C note(100 USD bill), 2 grams of gold(spot price roughly $80) costs roughly $75 to mine.
2.- US national debt is increasing by between 1/2 and 1 trillion USD annually.
3.- Annual gold production for the past few years has averaged 2500 tonnes. 1 metric ton is 32150 troy ounces, equalling 80,375000 troy ounces or 99 billion USD, a relatively trivial amount in comparison with the debt numbers in point 2 above!
4.- 1 trillion USD(1000 billion) is over 10 ten times annual gold production.
5.- China is the number one gold producing country at roughly 320,000kg of gold annually, South Africa was consistently number 1 until recently, it currently sits at number 4.
6.- South Africa, once the powerhouse of global gold output is fading fast, the major mines in RSA are depleting so fast that they are 2 miles underground in dangerous conditions, analysts say that once the mining stops in these mines it will not be cost efficient to re-open many of them. Estimates say RSA gold mines are 75% mined.
7.- The Krugerrand gold coin, the worlds number 1 gold coin come under such a squeeze this year(with the price drop in 2013 causing a huge surge in demand)that the rand refinery upped premiums and a billion dollar purchase of scrap gold was made in USA by an un-named RSA corporation. South Africa has never before imported gold on this scale.
8.- More than 1/3 of annual gold production is via scrap and recycling, this source is coming under significant pressure as it is diminishing significantly, scrap tonnage is down year on year for the the last few years, although the price drop has influenced this, the general consensus amoung scrap dealers is that the supply is just not there.
9.- Gold is subject to the law of diminshing returns similar to oil(i.e it becomes more expensive to mine the same oz in a location over time),however gold mining is more labour intensive than oil drilling, it is also harder to estimate quantity on location and often yields disappoint more so than with oil.
10.-If there is one country that understands the value of gold it is China, they have risen to number 1 gold producer worldwide, while dramatically increasing annual purchases and inflows via Hong Kong in particular. Whilst China’s holding are still less than the USA, there is an increasing realisation that the US does not have/own all the gold it reputes to. China on the other hand significantly down plays its holdings, its production and its inflows. He who holds the gold holds the power!
