Activity in the gold markets has focused investors' attention on this unique commodity. To provide the reader with a better understanding of the trade the book is set out in three sections. The first sketches the structure of the gold market from the point of view of the commodity analyst before reviewing in detail the institutions and practices of bullion and futures trading; the second looks at gold mining setting the boom of the past decade in the context of a longer term perspective; the third surveys the used of gold, past and present, and discusses the metal's future prospects.

The explosive story of the illegal gold trade from South America, and the three Miami businessmen who got rich on it—until it all came crashing down. In March of 2017, a team of federal agents arrested Juan Pablo Granda, Samer Barrage, and Renato Rodriguez, or as they came to be known, "the three amigos." The trio—first identified publicly by the authors of this book—had built a $3.6 billion dollar business in metals trading, mostly illegal Peruvian gold mined in the rain forest. Their arrest and subsequent prosecution laid bare more than a scheme between a few corrupt traders. Dirty Gold lifts the veil on a massive and very illegal international business that is more lucrative than trafficking cocaine, and often just as dangerous. As this award-winning team of current and former Miami Herald reporters shows, illegal gold mines have become a haven for Latin American drug money. The gold is sold to metals traders, and ultimately to scores of unwitting Americans in their jewelry and phones. By following the trail of these three traders, Dirty Gold leads us into a sprawling criminal underworld that has never before been in full view.

From the award-winning author of Diamond: A blazing exploration of the human love affair with gold that “combines the engaging style of a travel narrative with sharp-eyed journalistic exposé” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the price of gold skyrocketed—in three years more than doubling from $800 an ounce to $1900. This massive spike drove an unprecedented global gold-mining and exploration boom, much bigger than the gold rush of the 1800s. In Gold, acclaimed author Matthew Hart takes you on an unforgettable journey around the world and through history to tell the extraordinary story of how gold became the world’s most precious commodity. Beginning with a page-turning report from the crime-ridden inferno of the world’s deepest mine, Hart traveled around the world to the sites of the hottest action in gold today, from the biggest new mine in China, to the highly secretive London gold exchange, and the lair of the world’s most powerful gold trader in Geneva, Switzerland. He profiles the leaders of the gold market today, the nature of the current boom, and the likely prospects for the future. From the earliest civilizations, when gold was an icon of sacred and kingly power, Hart tracks its evolution, through conquest, murder, and international mayhem, into the speculative casino-chip that the metal has become. He ends by telling the story of the massive flows of gold that have occurred in the wake of the financial crisis and what the world’s leading experts are saying about the profound changes underway in the gold market and the prospects for the future. “Compelling, stylish, and impressively researched” (The Boston Globe), Gold is a wonderful historical odyssey with important implications for today’s global economy.

In recent decades, gold mining has moved into increasingly remote corners of the globe. Aside from the expansion of industrial gold mining, many countries have simultaneously witnessed an expansion of labor-intensive and predominantly informal artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Both trends are usually studied in isolation, which contributes to a dominant image of a dual gold mining economy. Counteracting this dominant view, this volume adopts a global perspective, and demonstrates that both industrial gold mining and artisanal and small-scale gold mining are functionally integrated into a global gold production system. It couples an analysis of structural trends in global gold production (expansion, informalization, and technological innovation) to twelve country case studies that detail how global gold production becomes embedded in institutional and ecological structures.

The sixteenth-century Conquistadors, led by Pizarro, came to Peru for three reasons--God, gold, and glory, but after the initial glory of their conquest they tended to concentrate on gold, rather than God. Direct colonial rule by Spain lasted for almost three hundred years, only ending in 1826, when the last Spanish flag was hauled down from the battlements of Real Felipe Fortress. However, just a few short years after Peru had declared its independence from Spain, the attention of some people in Lima began to focus on a potential source of untold wealth that was to prove more precious than gold. This was guano which, in its greatest concentration, was found on the diminutive Chincha Islands that lie just off the Peruvian coast, some seventy miles south of Callao. This book covers the story of this international guano trade. It outlines the fate of the unfortunates recruited to cut and load the guano. It also gives full details of the hardships endured by mariners employed in this trade. The story of those who grew rich on the proceeds of this trade is also outlined. Importantly, it explains just how the Peruvian government mismanaged the trade, to the extent that Peru became burdened with debts, rather than prospering on the proceeds of their vast new guano-based income.

Using an inter-disciplinary and global approach this book examines the different roles gold played in the international economy from the late 19th century until today. It gives a complete and comprehensive overview of the many facets of the global gold market's organization from the extraction of this precious metal to its consumption.

Why the gold standard is due for a comeback A reserve currency can only function as such if there is a general consensus that it provides a stable store of value. Without this trust, money, no matter what form it takes, will be abandoned—either suddenly in a crisis, or gradually over time—in favor of something else. The Golden Revolution looks at how the world is rapidly moving toward some form of global metallic standard, in which money, at least in official, international transactions, is linked directly to gold, silver, or both. The practical reality of the transition to the coming global gold (or bimetallic) standard is going to be substantially different from the global fiat monetary and financial regime of today. It is not just money that is going to change. The nature and business of banking will also be affected, as will finance in general. Incisive and thoughtful, The Golden Revolution is a treatise on the broad effects of the current and future monetary structure Looks at why the world is headed inexorably back towards a metallic money standard Explores what the transition period might look like, including some historical examples of both orderly and disorderly transitions Examines how the world of banking, finance, and investment, including asset valuation and portfolio management techniques, will work under a future gold standard and which industries, countries and markets are likely to benefit and which are likely to suffer Full of advice on how investors can profit and protect themselves during this critical time of change, the book knows that those who are prepared will prosper, while those who won't stand to lose it all.