Although financial markets are subject to constant innovation, gold remains a permanent fixture. It is held by Central Banks as a reserve asset and complements equity and fixed income assets in investment portfolios. The creation of products like exchange traded funds have provided a secure and easy way to add gold to investment portfolios and benefit from the countercyclical diversification that it provides.

While best known as a store of wealth, gold’s unrivalled properties – it combines high conductivity with corrosion resistance, and can be physically manipulated as it is both highly malleable and ductile- means it is often the material of choice for many industrial applications. For instance, in the electronics industry gold bonding wire is used to ensure reliability of the ubiquitous microchip that runs everything from the internet to your smart phone. Gold’s diverse applications include its use in diesel catalytic convertors to lower emissions, in bacteria resistant implants for the inner ear , in coatings on architectural glass to reduce energy consumption, and in fuel cells and jet engines. Gold has also played a key role in space exploration such as the layer of gold on astronauts’ helmets to provide protection from deadly doses of radiation.