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On Monday spot gold was quoted at $1,182.46 per ounce, after hitting a 2010 high of $1,182.95.
Will we have enough gold to meet demand in the near future? In 2001, gold dropped well below $300. As a result, exploration budgets plummeted in 2002. The results of that decline are being felt now -- according to GFMS Ltd., 2006 global demand for gold was pegged at 3,380 metric tons, while worldwide production fell 3% to 2,471 tons.
In 2006, the metal hit a high of $730 a troy oz. and, so, not surprisingly, 2007 exploration investment now tops $3 billion, according to the Metals Economic Group. Given the lag between exploration and production, this increase won't impact supplies for some time.
Also, as mines in stable countries play out, companies are forced toward exploration in higher-risk countries. This, along with climbing energy costs, has resulted in an increase in production cost for gold worldwide of $45 per ounce, according to GFMS Ltd. Consolidation of exploration companies has also had a dampening effect on gold exploration.
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