After years at record highs, Gold Prices had their greatest fall in decades on Monday. Many are speculating on the cause of the drop in the price of gold, which reached a bottom price on Monday at $1360.60 per ounce.
The price of gold dropped by just over $140 per ounce by the end of the day yesterday. Some are pointing to the large sell-off of gold reserves by the bank of Cyprus, which has an estimated 40 metric tons of the precious metal, as the cause for the massive drop in gold prices.
The price of gold has risen rapidly since 2001, when the metal was priced at only about $255 per ounce, to highs well over $1800 per ounce. Investors are speculating on whether this drop in price will be followed by another sustained climb. If so this could be an excellent time to buy gold or add gold futures to your portfolio.
Some analysts worry, however, that gold reserve sell-offs by other European countries struggling with their economy could cause gold prices to continue to plunge. According to the USA Today, Greece, with an economy on the brink, currently has about 112 tons of gold reserves, and could decide to sell some of it to improve its situation.