Oftentimes during inflation, people seek to protect their savings by purchasing liquid, tangible assets that are valued for some other purpose. Gold is in this respect a good candidate, since producing more is far more difficult than issuing new fiat currency, and its value does not rely on any particular government’s health. Gold has a long history of being an inflation proof investment. During times of low or negative real interest rates, when significant inflation is present and interest rates are relatively low, investors seek the safe haven of gold to protect their capital.

The price of gold is ultimately driven by supply and demand, including hoarding and shedding. Unlike most other commodities, the hoarding and dis-hoarding plays a much bigger role in affecting the price, because almost all the gold ever mined still exists and is potentially able to come on to the market at the right price.