The writer is chair of Rockefeller International. His latest book is ‘What Went Wrong With Capitalism’
After surging for years, the price of gold has entered the realm where storytelling drives its price. Breaking free of the fundamental forces that long explained its ups and downs, it is now rising on tales of global risk and uncertainty — which make this era feel to some observers like the gold rush of the 1970s.
Gold has long been seen as a safe haven because its price has kept pace with the rate of inflation for centuries, albeit punctuated by busts and booms. The booms tended to come in periods when real interest rates declined. As returns fell on money held in savings accounts or bonds, people tended to move their wealth into gold, which offers no yield but at least can rise in price.