Gold keeps rising as panicky investors look for security

Goldfinger, the villain of the eponymous James Bond film, hatched a plot to increase the value of his bullion by detonating a nuclear device inside Fort Knox, making America's gold supply radioactive for 60 years. No less exciting, though rather more unsettling, is the real-life drama taking place on the world's financial markets, where investors have piled into gold on fears that capitalism is about to crumble.

As a result, the gold price has soared to record levels, rising 9% this year to reach a peak of $1,264.90 (£834.44) an ounce, with influential names in the world of finance predicting it could top $2,000. Among them is Jim Rogers, the investment guru who called the start of the commodities rally in 1999.

Having narrowly averted a financial Armageddon in 2008, investors are worried the authorities have transferred western indebtedness from banks and consumers to national governments. (more)