Business: The Glitter That Is Gold

Bullion's latest boom spurs a purchasing panic and another dollar slide

Gold fever, the most infectious of monetary diseases during times of perceived economic distress and uncertainty, is epidemic. From Zurich to Chicago, from London to Hong Kong, goldbugs are scurrying once again to buy into their favorite hedge against disaster. With people battered by inflation and recession, worried about oil and lacking confidence in leaders and cures, the gold rush of '79 has turned into a stampede as schoolboys, housewives and pensioners have jumped in along with big investors. It is a surge...

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