Notable & Quotable – The Economist, The Wall Street Journal
“Investment in gold ETFs and similar products reached a record high in 2008, of 321 tonnes—and then almost doubled, to 617 tonnes, last year. The stock of gold held by such funds more than doubled to 1,839 tonnes in the two years to the end of 2009…The 229 tonnes of gold sold in the form of official coins last year was the most since 1986, thanks to demand from retail investors in America and Europe…In Abu Dhabi those seized by an urge to buy bullion can now head to the lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel, where the Gold-to-Go machine dispenses bars.”