Money in and of itself, is nothing. It can be a shell, a metal coin, or a piece of paper with a historic image on it, but the value that people place on it has nothing to do with the physical value of the money. Money derives its value by being a medium of exchange, … Continue reading The History Of Money: From Barter To Banknotes

Bullion is gold and silver that is officially recognized as being at least 99.5% pure and is in the form of bars or ingots. To create bullion, gold first must be discovered by mining companies and removed from the earth in the form of gold ore, a combination of gold and mineralized rock. The gold is … Continue reading What is ‘Bullion’ ?

When the market tumbles or investors are afraid of what's going on in the world or people are afraid of inflation, interest around investing in gold goes up. You'll hear folks lament over-priced stocks or express distrust in the Federal Reserve to unwind from their quantitative easing without printing money and causing hyperinflation. Whatever the reasons, investors will … Continue reading Investing in Gold? Here’s What You Need to Know

Palladium is a shiny, silvery metal used in many types of manufacturing processes, particularly for electronics and industrial products. Palladium has an atomic number of 46 on the periodic table of the elements. The majority of the world's supply of this rare metal comes from mines located in the United States, Russia, South Africa and Canada. … Continue reading What is ‘Palladium’?

Since the dawn of time, gold and silver have been recognized as valuable. And even today, precious metals have their place in a savvy investor's portfolio. But which precious metal is best for investment purposes? And why are they so volatile? If you're just getting started in precious metals, read on to learn more about how they work … Continue reading A Beginner’s Guide to Precious Metals

  Why Silver's Hot ? Silver has skyrocketed for many of the same reasons as gold, a big one being widespread fear about the condition and direction of the economy. Anytime there's economic uncertainty and a risk of higher inflation, just like there is right now, precious metals become increasingly popular because of their perceived safety … Continue reading Is Silver The New Gold?

Gold tends to be all the rage in times of economic uncertainty. Investors flock to the "yellow metal" when things go sour because they see it as a safe haven for their money until they feel better about venturing back into things they view as riskier, like common stocks and real estate. Such a strategy can actually … Continue reading 5 Metals That May Be Brighter Than Gold

Barter is an act of trading goods or services between two or more parties without the use of money (or a monetary medium such as a credit card). In essence, bartering involves the provision of one good or service by one party in return for another good or service from another party. A simple example of a barter arrangement … Continue reading What is a ‘Barter’?

Hyperinflation is extremely fast or out-of-control inflation. Hyperinflation occurs when price increases are so wild that the concept of inflation is meaningless. Although hyperinflation is considered to be rare, it occurred as many as 55 times in the 20th century in countries such as China, Germany, Russia, Hungary and Argentina. BREAKING DOWN 'Hyperinflation' When associated with depressions, … Continue reading What is ‘Hyperinflation’?