“Gold saw gains against all fiat currencies again in 2012 (see charts and tables).
Gold rose 7% in US dollars and was 4.9% higher in euro terms and 2.2% higher in sterling terms or to put it more correctly the major fiat currencies fell these amounts in 2012 against immutable gold.
The gains were the smallest annual gains since 2008 but built on the steady gains of the last 12 years.
Silver also had a stellar year with all fiat currencies falling against silver in 2012. Silver was 8% higher in US dollar terms and 6.6% in euro terms, 3.9% in sterling pound terms and by 22.6% in Japanese yen terms.
Platinum and palladium also saw gains and returned 9% and 7.5% respectively.
Global shares rallied in 2012 with the help of central banks flooding the world with money and a tentative global economic recovery.
The MSCI All-Country World Index of equities increased 16.9%.
23 out of 24 benchmark indexes in advanced countries rose, with Greece, Germany and Denmark in the lead. Spain was the loser.
The UK’s FTSE 100 rose 5.8%; Germany’s Dax jumped 29.2%; France’s CAC 40 added 15.2%; Italy’s FTSE MIB gained 7.8% while Spain’s IBEX 35 dipped 4.7%.
Much of Gold’s Gains in 2012 On 11% Price Gain in January 2012
Gold fell in seven months of the year and rose in five (January and June to Sept). Interestingly, gold’s biggest monthly rise was in January when gold returned 11.1%.
Thus, speculative buyers not allocated to gold at the start of the year and attempting to time the market may have not enjoyed the gains of 2012….”
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