The Gold Prices Today is currently at $1,539.10 at the close on May 30, 2011. In the past 60 days the price of gold has risen from just under $1440 to its current level which is nearly a $100 increase. That sounds wonderful but there is a catch. To earn that $100, you must have invested $1440 to begin with. That is about a 14% return on your investment.

Now on to silver, at the close on May 30, 2011 the price per ounce of silver was at $38.07. In the past 60 days the price of silver has risen from $35.00 an ounce. That is a net gain of only $3.00. That is only a 7.8% return on investment.

A clearer picture is made when comparing the amount of your investment and its return on investment. The main difference between the two is not really clear when comparing the return on investment per ounce of precious metals. If $1400 was invested in gold 60 days ago you made $100 and owned one ounce of gold.

If that same $1440 was invested in silver you would own 37.83 ounces of silver. You would also have a return on your investment of $113.48.

It is true that gold is more valuable than silver on the market, but you can make more money investing in silver in the current market conditions.

This makes the answer to the question should I buy gold or silver rather clear. Silver will make you a better return on your investment and that is the real reason you invest, it is to make money.

The current spot Gold Prices at the close of January 31, 2011 was at $1,333.00. This is a decline from a high of $1,426 less than 2 months ago, but investors are not leaving the safety and security of this precious metals market for any riskier investment at this time because of all the uncertainty.

First it was Tunisia, now Egypt with revolutions toppling governments. There is talk of other regime changes that are very unsettling for all the markets. This instability will see gold prices maintain their current level or increase until the political situation settles down and investors know what to expect.

Gold did see its first monthly decline in the last six months due to positive economic news from the US along with the Euro financial situation stabilizing, but by maintaining its price near records level still send the message of uncertainty in the market place.

The main concern to the world markets when it is related to Egypt is not oil but the Suez Canal. With instability in Egypt the daily operations of this busy sea-lane is uncertain. The reason for concern is that 7.5% of all the worlds’ goods are transported thru this vital waterway. If there was a disruption in vessel travel thru this waterway, it would have a negative effect on the world’s market place.

Until stability returns to the region, expect gold prices back above $1325 and to stay there.

The first kind of gold fund actually has gold bullion in its holdings. This is actually hard currency that will always have value, unlike stocks and contracts. No matter what happens to the world economy, this type of fund will always have a value. Examples of this type of Gold ETF fund is SPDR Gold ETF (GLD), iShare Comex Gold Trust (IAU) and Kotak Gold ETF (KGEFT).

There are also the ETF gold funds that hold stock in gold mining companies. These companies mine, transport and have reserves of gold that affects the value of their stocks along with any labor dispute with the unions that do the actual work. An example of this type of gold ETF’s is market Vectors Gold Miners (GDX).

The last type of EFT that has a stake in gold is the one that invests in gold futures. These are funds that have profits or losses are reflected in the upward or downward movement of the price of gold over time. The most popular of this type is the PowerShares DB Gold fund (DGL). The index by which this ETF is graded against is the Deutsche Bank Index in Germany.

The current gold prices have an effect on each of these ETF’s in a slightly different way. The history of this type of investment goes back to 2003 with the launching of the first of the Gold ETF funds. It was the Gold Bullion Securities on the Australian Stock exchange.

Another factor that has influenced gold is the exporting power of China. This week they have become the world’s largest exporter. They took this position from Germany. The amount of increase by China in their exports was 18% over the previous year.

Since gold is sold in US dollars, a weaker dollar makes it more affordable for those with a stronger currency to purchase more gold. This is evident with the price still going up on the gold market.

Gold prices are not the only precious metal that saw an increase in value and since the close of the NY exchange on January 11, 2010, the spot price of platinum has risen 29% to $1,626.00 and palladium is up 7.0% to $443.00. Most analysts are still looking for gold to maintain a high level of return until investors gain more confidence in the economies of different countries around the world.

With the Spot Gold Prices 2010 continuing to rise, this is still a solid investment. Some are predicting a sharp fall this year while others are expecting the price to continue with an upward swing.

Since 1971, the price of gold has risen and fallen but since breaking the $200 mark around 1979, it has stayed above it. Since 2001, gold has been on a steady increase with just a few small bumps along the way.

The end of December is seeing gold futures edging lower but a weak dollar has helped keep prices up. Uncertainty still remains in the minds of most investors. The recent financial fiasco from Abu Dhabi is just another reason for worry. With no true measure to track the direction of the world’s economies, uneasy investors are still relying heavily on gold for a solid investment. This has been shown with a rise in the value of gold by 24% in the year 2009 alone.

This has been the trend for the past decade. Since December 30, 1999 with the price of gold at $289, investors have seen solid gains. At the end of December the chairman of GFMS Ltd in London, Philip Klapwijk, has predicted that gold prices will drop to about $970 an ounce in the new year due to a strengthening dollar.

The American dollar is the key to which way the gold market will go. The Spot Gold Price 2010 will follow it closely. The stronger the dollar, the lower the price of gold will be.

Gold prices today for the week ending on March 6, 2009 were a mixed bag.  As you can see on the gold price chart below, the price of gold began the week at $939.47 per troy oz of gold.  On Monday the price of gold rallied to almost$960 until falling below $910 an ounce of gold.  By the end of the week, gold prices rebounded to where the price of gold was at the beginning of the week, $939 per troy oz.

Gold Price Chart 3-6-09

Zinc Prices, Silver Prices and Copper Prices

Like the price of gold all metals rebounded by the end of the week.  The price of oil was up $2 and the price of zinc, copper and silver all rallied by the end of the week.  While the price of gold rallied on Friday, there was not much volume in gold trading.

Platinum Prices Today

One of the more surprising metals this week was platinum.  The price of platinum rose about $1000 and in fact almost reached $1,100.  Many have predicted that the price of platinum would remain low because its demand is low right now in the auto industry.  However, the platinum market is much smaller than the gold market.  But, the price of platinum has a long way to go before reaching its high of $2,273 per ounce of platinum in March 2008.

That is it for the Gold Prices Today weekly gold report.  Next week we will provide another review of the week’s gold prices.

As the stock market continues to plummet and the world economic outlook remains uncertain, investing in gold can be an attractive investment.   Owning gold bullion tends to protect investors from political instability and the price of currency on the foreign exchange markets.

Gold prices have not been this high since the last gold bull market ended in 1980.  On January 21, 1980, the price of gold hit $825.50 which in today’s inflation adjusted dollars is equal to $2,168.50.  With gold currently in the $1,000 range, it is not unfathomable that gold price could rise to over $2,000.

While no one knows where the price of gold will be in the next year, reading Gold Prices Today will give you an advantage over other gold investors.  We promise to keep you up to date on the gold price news so that you always know the gold prices today and the trends to help you predict the future price of gold.

In addition to bringing you today’s gold prices, the latest gold price news and gold market trend information, Gold Prices Today will explore the different ways to invest in gold.  We will explore how to buy gold coins, how to buy numismatic gold coins, how to invest in gold etfs, and other ways to invest in gold.

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