Don’t leave your family or children crying over your money?

If you look at the news head line of Sunday Times recently, it said that “RM40 billion unclaimed cash and assets left by the dead”. To all, it is just a whopping figure. However to the families and children concerned, it is the much needed money they need to support the family and their children’s education. They have been struggling for years to get the money from the authority and many of them still unable to acquire their fair shares. All these are attributed to the fact that most of their family members die without leaving a will.

Though the deceased may have left lots of cash and property, the family members can not get their hands on them if there is no will.

Do You Still Think Will Writing Only for Rich People ?

 

The Answer: You should not be by now !

 

Many people have the perception that I do not need a will, I have no asset – the Will is only for Rich People with lots of assets. This is not true. Will is for everyone – especially for those who love and care for their loved one.

When a person makes a will, it allows the testator (will maker) to distribute the estate according to the person’s wishes. It will reduce the likelihood of a prolonged estate administration case because if a person died intestate (without a will) the process of getting the courts to provide a Letter of Administration could take years, averagely about 5 years. Besides, with a valid will, it helps to prevent family disputes over rights of ownership to the estate, and allows for the appointment of guardians of our own choice for our minor children.

 

We have been working hard to build up our wealth so that we could provide a good living for our loved one. While we have been putting the investment and protection puzzles into it places, we can not left out the last piece of the financial planning puzzle – Wealth Distribution – Wills & Trust.

Do not procrastinate, start off with a simple will to ensure our hard earned investments are well taken care off.

Where to Invest: Gold or CPO?

Two commodities is currently the world’s interest, particularly crude palm oil and gold. Globe gold price is presently in the degree of U.S. $ 1,372 per troy ounce.



This value boost occurred about 30 percent within the previous yr. “Analysts estimate the price of gold might be the selection of U.S. $ one,450 per troy ounce, until the end of this yr,” Data U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), shows that gold manufacturing rose two.26 tons to 2350 tons in 2009. This creation, nine.six % beneath its peak in 2001.

Thomas Chaize, observers of gold as  GoldSeek.com, observed that the decline in production has created the cost of gold soared. Inside a decade, gold prices rose from U.S. $ 275 troy ounces (one troy ounce equals 31.one grams) to more than U.S. $ 1,300 this month.

Meanwhile, planet crude palm oil costs now reaching the degree of U.S. $ 890 per ton. “Until the end in the yr, the price is going to be the variety U.S. $ 900-950 per tonne,” said Nico Omer Jonckheere, vice president of PT Valbury Asia Securities in Jakarta.

Which is, there is an boost of about 40.eleven percent in comparison with the typical CPO value inside the final yr (2009), namely at the level of U.S. $ 678 per ton. That worth is much higher than expectations of Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki), which predicts only an enhance of 12 %.

The cost enhance can also be due to the imbalance amongst need and availability of merchandise with the CPO.

So it is as much as you pick which one? Gold Or CPO.

Gold vs Silver

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- One question which I am asked regularly is how do investors decide how much of their precious metals dollars do they invest in gold bullion, and how much in silver? In other words, they are looking for a "ratio" to guide them. In fact, I will argue that there is an existing, visible ratio which provides investors with good guidance on allocating those investor dollars.

The gold/silver price ratio is a simple comparison of the price of silver vs. the price of gold. With these two commodities having played a vital role in human commerce (and human culture) for thousands of years, the gold/silver price ratio is arguably our oldest "economic statistic". For most of the last 5,000 years it has averaged approximately 15:1 -- until this century, when a combination of developments skewed this ratio to its most extreme imbalance in 5,000 years. 

There are many ways to demonstrate that the current price ratio -- of well over 60:1 -- is both unjustified and unsustainable. The starting point is to observe that the element of silver is roughly 17 times more plentiful in the earth's crust than the element of gold. Indeed, what is strange is that our much more primitive ancestors (who had no way of analyzing the composition of the earth's crust) did a much better job of pricing these metals appropriately than their modern descendants. 


The result of well over half a century of grossly distorting the price of silver, both in absolute terms and versus the price of gold has clearly set up this market for a spectacular default -- at which time the market will "correct" the price imbalance, in the most brutal manner possible. The evidence of this upcoming event is all around us, much of it compiled by the years of painstaking research by Ted Butler, the "dean" of silver commentators.


It is Mr. Butler who has chronicled the extreme-and-absurd manipulation of the silver market through the criminal activities of the bullion-banks in futures markets -- and mostly from New York's Comex exchange. As most of us know, identical activities have been taking place in the gold market, with GATA taking the lead in exposing that aspect of market-fraud.

The Kijang Emas Gold Bullion Coins

Malaysia is the 12th country in the world to issue its own gold bullion coin. The Kijang Emas now joins the ranks of other international gold bullion coins.

The design of the obverse of the Kijang Emas depicts a barking deer ("kijang") in its natural habitat in the Malaysian jungle. The reverse side features the hibiscus, the national flower of Malaysia.

1 Troy ounce

Face value: RM200 Gold Purity: 99.99% Standard weight: 31.105g Diameter: 37.00 mm

1/2 Troy ounces	1/4 Troy ounces
Face value: RM100 Gold Purity: 99.99% Standard weight: 15.550g Diameter: 28.00 mm	Face value: RM50 Gold Purity: 99.99% Standard weight: 7.780g Diameter: 22.00 mm

The purchase and reselling price of Kijang Emas is determined by the prevailing international gold market price. The daily market price is posted on the BNM web site.

The Kijang Emas is minted by the Royal Mint of Malaysia and distributed by Maybank Berhad, which will also entertain further enquiries.

PLATINUM: THE RICH MAN'S GOLD

WHY IS PLATINUM SO PRECIOUS AND CONSIDERED THE RICH MAN'S GOLD?

It is simply a matter of relative scarcity. Per the Platinum Guild International, platinum is the "most precious" of the precious metals for the following reasons:

(1) The annual supply of platinum is only about 130 tons - which is equivalent to only 6% (by weight) of the total Western World's annual mine production of gold - and less than one percent of silver's yearly mine production. Another amazing platinum trivia is the fact that more than twice as much steel is poured in the U.S. in only one day than the total world's platinum production in one year - indeed scarce!

(2) Approximately 10 tons of ore must be mined - sometimes almost a mile underground at temperatures greater than 120 degrees Fahrenheit - to produce one pure ounce of the "so-called white gold." Furthermore, the total extraction process takes six long months.

(3) All the platinum ever mined throughout history would fill a basement of less than 25 cubic feet.

(4) Although its relative weight does not contribute to its value, platinum is even heavier than gold - one cubic foot weighs a little more than 1,330 pounds, about 11% denser than gold. THAT'S WELL MORE THAN HALF A TON. Expressing platinum's weight differently, a six-inch cube of the white metal weighs about as much as an average man!

(5) Relative to volume mined, platinum has many more industrial uses than either silver or gold. In fact more than 50% of the yearly production of platinum is consumed (read destroyed) by industrial uses - unlike gold!

(6) Also unlike gold, there are no large inventories of above-ground platinum. Therefore, any breakdown in the two major supply sources would catapult the price of platinum into orbit.

EXTREMELY LIMITED SOURCES OF SUPPLY

Unlike nearly all metals and crude oil which are found throughout the world, important platinum deposits are limited to basically two areas of the world. Naturally, platinum is produced as a by-product in several areas of the world, but this production source is very insignificant. Only South Africa and the CIS (formally known as the USSR) have been blessed with what might be termed deposits of "industrial quantities" of the "Rich Man's Gold." And South Africa is far and away the most important of the two as it accounts for approximately 80% of the total world's annual mine production - AND MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY 88% OF THE WORLD RESERVES OF PLATINUM. An interesting aside is the fact that South Africa controls more platinum reserves than ALL THE ARAB NATIONS CONTROL CRUDE OIL RESERVES. I say approximately 80% of world production, because that estimate is the consensus of the various sources. The CIS accounts for about 10%, the remainder is scattered around the world. Therefore, it is readily obvious to all observers that any political instability and/or labor turmoil in South Africa - and to a lesser extent in the CIS - would have an absolutely draconian impact upon platinum prices. As I mentioned previously, a general strike in South Africa would cause gold to soar, but it would take Jean Luk Picard (Star-Trek) at Warp 9.9 to catch up with zooming platinum prices.

In light of the metal's EXTREME scarcity, it is NOT surprising that more than 90% of the world's platinum production comes from only four mines: three in South Africa and one in the CIS. South Africa's prodigious platinum production comes mainly from Rustenburg (RPATY), Impala (IMPAY) and Lonrho (LNROY). And nearly all the CIS production comes from the Norlisk mine in Siberia. Interestingly, Rustenburg and Impala market prices have risen this year, despite the declining trend of gold and silver stocks. Currently, Rustenburg is up 33%, and Impala up about 20% from their 1997 lows. That type of relative strength usually portends much greater appreciation, once the precious metals begin their bull move.

PLATINUM PRODUCERS OUTSIDE SOUTH AFRICA

About three years ago I did some research on platinum. I discovered that a number of publicly owned companies produced platinum as a by-product. An example is the giant nickel producer in Canada, INCO. However, the financial fly in the ointment is that INCO's income from platinum production gets lost in their income statement, in that it represents such a minuscule amount relative to their other production. In fact my research only turned up one pure platinum play outside of South Africa. It is Stillwater Mining (PGMS) of Montana. Until about 1995 it was totally owned by Chevron Resources and the Manville Corporation. For whatever reasons the two giant corporations sold it to the public at about $14 per share, after which it roared to almost $29, when it corrected to support in the $15 area. In recent weeks renewed mutual fund interest in the stock has trampolined the price to about $24.

To my knowledge it is the only pure platinum play not subject to possible political instability and/or labor strife. I would be grateful if readers of this report would share any current platinum research and opinions they may have. Some sources estimate that Stillwater Mining accounts for about 3% of the annual supply of platinum.
Apart from the platinum producers already mentioned, there is one potentially interesting platinum play located in Zimbabwe, Africa. It is an Australian gold, platinum and diamond producer called Delta Gold (DGD). During the last few years Delta Gold has been exploring properties with platinum potential in Zimbabwe via a joint-venture with BHP Minerals. Though modest, actual platinum production has already begun in the Hartley Platinum Complex in Zimbabwe.

WORLD CONSUMPTION OF PLATINUM

Although an exhaustive analysis of the supply/demand dynamics of the white metal is beyond the scope of this report, this researcher would be remiss NOT to make some mention in this respect. Platinum supply/demand dynamics are tight - and getting tighter every month. While the western world's industrial demand is understandably a function of economic growth - which obviously increases at a moderate rate - emerging countries demand for platinum is literally exploding. For example, China. It is a well-known statistic that the Sino-behemoth has enjoyed the highest percent of annual economic growth of any nation in the world during the last 10 years. And there doesn't seem to be any slowing forecasted in the foreseeable future. China's platinum consumption has grown apace with its annual industrial production increases. The reader must be aware we are talking a dynamic society of more than 1.2 billion strong population. China's future platinum demand ALONE will tax current production capacity of the four major mines.

Annual platinum consumption is divided into three categories: 50% industrial uses; 40% jewelry manufacturing and 10% for investment purposes. Inscrutably, the Japanese account for 95% of the platinum jewelry demand.

PLATINUM'S INVESTMENT PROSPECTS

Historically, platinum prices run in tandem with the precious metals group (gold, silver, platinum and palladium). However, there are a couple of distinguishing characteristics to the "Rich Man's Gold." Platinum usually leads the other metals in any valid new bull move - albeit accompanied by palladium. Additionally, platinum is much more volatile on the upside and downside than is gold. Whereas during normal periods of rising precious metals prices, platinum enjoys a few dollars premium over gold, the platinum/gold spread widens considerably when the group is in a strong bull posture. In fact the platinum/gold spread has reached more than $200 occasionally during the last two decades. No one can foresee the future, but in the next precious metals bull market, it may well repeat the performance.
Whether a person should take the bullion investment approach, or the shares of the three South African platinum mining companies, or the North-American stock, Stillwater Mining, or the Australian Delta Gold, or even platinum coins - is a personal decision dependent upon numerous factors, and one's tolerance for risk. Unfortunately, discussion of these factors is beyond the scope of this report. Nevertheless, this researcher believes all will do well, once the bull market in precious metals begins its cycle anew.

Gold vs Crude Oil

GOLD vs CRUDE OIL Oil producers normally find it in their best interest to add steadily to productive capacity. Gradual addition of capacity year after year keeps oil supply in rough equilibrium with demand as the global economy grows. Mild shortages and surpluses sometimes arise, but they are quickly addressed by market forces so long as monetary policy is anchored properly. It was really a monetary error that began throwing the oil market out of whack three years ago, one we wrote about at the time in forecasting a sharp decline in the price of oil. Specifically, it was the sharp deflation of the U.S. dollar which began in 1997-98. As the value of the dollar rose into deflationary territory -- as measured against gold, the best proxy for commodities, many countries were forced to break their dollar links and devalue their currencies. This triggered major global disruption, first in Asia and then in Latin America. 

As global economy slowed, oil demand plunged, leaving an excess of oil on the market, which caused oil to fall harder and faster than gold or the currencies tracing the dollar. As the oil price fell to $10/bbl in 1998/99, oil producers at the margin were driven out of business. Those that remained stopped investing in infrastructure and production. Once the world economy adjusted to the deflation, in 1999, global growth resumed. Governments in Asia and Latin American began to find the keys to growth, stabilizing their currencies and jettisoning some of the austere fiscal policies pressed upon them by the IMF and World Bank. The rebound in commerce quickly increased the need for oil. Demand began to exceed available inventories, pushing prices up and out of their traditional trading locus. Had oil producers at the margin not been totally destroyed by the 1997-98 commodity depression, no supply shortages would have emerged.

The oil price should come back down as high prices pull capital towards higher relative returns, which implies more production -- but the process will take a while. The 1997/98 oil price plunge had a searing effect on producers, who obviously do not want to be burned again, should another deflation be right around the corner. Oil producers may not have identified price swings as monetary deflation, but they certainly grasped the concept that committing to new fixed capacity is more risky in an environment where the nominal price is highly volatile. As long as the dollar is not fixed in terms of gold, its volatility will continue to throw off misleading signals of capital shortages and surpluses, inevitably leading to booms and busts. 

Gold and oil traditionally have had a 15-to-1 relationship, only slipping out of congruence for short periods of time. When the gold/dollar relationship is anchored, the oil/dollar relationship remains stable as well. (See the chart of oil pre 1970 – it barely budged for years at a time.) When the dollar/gold relationship is malfunctioning, as it is now, capital is wasted as producers try to protect themselves from the damaging impact of inflations and deflations, which ultimately weaken the entire pricing system. The upshot is that prices will eventually come down. But in the meantime, we’ll all be getting squeezed at the pumps. 

Dr. Jude Wanniski
19 June 2000

Reprint Permission courtesy of http://www.polyconomics.com
*******************************
Jude Wanniski, president of Polyconomics, Inc., Morristown, New Jersey, is one of the leading political economists in the United States. A prolific writer and profound thinker, it was Mr. Wanniski who, as Associate Editor of The Wall Street Journal from 1972 to 1978, repopularized the classical theories of supply-side economics. His book, The Way the World Works, published in 1978 to critical acclaim, and which brings a passion and eloquence to the supply-side model of political economy, became a foundation of the global economic transformation launched by the Administration of President Ronald Reagan.

Gold vs Dollar

Introduction

Gold has been a poor investment for many years. This is a statement which is almost universally accepted in today's world, but one which is only partially true. The truth is that gold has been a very poor investment when measured in US dollars, but has generally proven to be a sound investment when measured in terms of almost any other national currency. The Indians and the Chinese, the world's largest buyers of gold, have seen the value of their gold investments increase by approximately 200% over the last decade. Due to a collapse in their national currencies, South East Asians and Koreans have also seen the value of owning gold . 

The US dollar reached a cyclical low in April 1995, from which it has risen over 50% against the Yen and 30% against the Deutsche Mark . This means that German and Japanese investors who exchanged their national currency for gold in April 95 would now be showing a profit on their investment, despite a 21% decrease in the US dollar gold price over the same period.

What we have witnessed over the past 2.5 years is a massive shift of investment capital into the US dollar from all other currencies, including gold. Investors around the world have placed enormous faith in the US dollar and, therefore, in the US economic, financial and political system which supports the dollar. Gold has been a victim of this flight to the US dollar, although it has fared better than many of the government controlled forms of money.

With the US dollar continuing to strengthen as capital flees from EMU-generated uncertainty in Europe and debt-based currency crises throughout Asia, why should anyone invest in gold ? Why not just invest in US dollars and US dollar denominated assets ? In my opinion, there are only two reasons to invest in gold.

Reason # 1 To Own Gold

Many supporters of gold continue to put forward the argument that Central Banks are controlling the gold price. The reason for the popularity of this argument appears to be the misconception that the demand for gold exceeds the supply of gold. After all, if the demand for something does exceed its supply by a substantial amount and for a long time, and the price goes down, then it is logical to assume that there must be dark forces at work to manufacture this unreal situation. The problem is, whenever you start from an incorrect premise and then develop your arguments based on flawless logic, you must necessarily arrive at the wrong conclusion.

Perhaps it is hard for goldbugs to accept that gold is a genuinely unpopular investment at the moment when compared to the all-conquering US dollar. However, the fact is that net CB sales of gold over the past few years have been small. Gold loans by CBs have probably had some effect, but the over-riding factor is that private investment demand for gold has reached its lowest point since 1971. Until there is an increase in this demand then the above-ground stock of monetary gold, more than 60% of which is held in private hands, will be an available source of supply.

Just as it is wrong to think that the supposed annual deficit in gold supply (the difference between newly mined supply and commercial demand) will lead to a higher gold price, it is equally wrong to think that the above-ground stock held by the CBs is necessarily sufficient to meet demand for many years to come. Trillions of dollars of investment capital is moving around the world each day searching out stability or protection or investment returns.  

If confidence in financial assets and government controlled currencies was to significantly reduce, then the total gold reserves of all CBs (worth 320 billion dollars at current gold prices) could be absorbed in an instant by private investors.

Government controlled currencies are liabilities of the monetary agents and are backed by debt. Their value is hence based on the level of confidence in the financial and political systems and their rates of exchange tend to oscillate daily based on changes in this confidence level.  

For example, if doubt arises regarding the quality of the debt which provides the asset backing for a currency, then capital will shift from that currency into an alternative investment. Gold, a tangible asset which has been valued as a store of wealth for thousands of years, provides an ideal alternative.

Those who are advocating the CB conspiracy theories are failing to appreciate a very important point : The primary reason to own gold as an investment is because it is not controlled by central banks and governments.

Reason # 2 To Own Gold

The second reason to own gold is a corollary of the first. The debt which forms the asset backing of a national currency can be split into two groups - private debt and government debt. The quality of private debt will reduce if the cashflow of the borrowers is insufficient to meet the repayments and /or the value of the underlying security for the loan (real estate, shares, etc) becomes less than the amount of the loan. This is the situation which Japan has faced since 1990 (lending based on collateral rather than cashflow followed by a substantial reduction in asset values has resulted in huge, non-performing private debts). Large scale defaults on private debts will force asset sales, pushing down asset values even further, and stop new investment . Liquidity will thus be removed from the system and interest rates will fall to a point where investment once again becomes feasible. The process is self correcting unless, of course, the government tries to help.

A different set of rules, however, apply to government debt . These rules can begin to be understood by first reading the following explanation of central bank powers taken from a speech given by Alan Greenspan in January of this year :

"Central banks can issue currency, a non-interest-bearing claim on the government, effectively without limit. They can discount loans and other assets of banks or other private depository institutions, thereby converting potentially illiquid private assets into riskless claims on the government in the form of deposits at the central bank. That all of these claims on government are readily accepted reflects the fact that a government cannot become insolvent with respect to obligations in its own currency."

As Greenspan points out, a government can never run out of its own currency. Therefore, the cashflow of a government will never be insufficient to service its internal debt. It can simply create as much money as it needs through the issue of new debt. It should also be noted that governments never have to concern themselves with the value of the assets used as security against their loans, because there are none. The asset which backs all government debt is the full faith and credit of the government.

A problem for a country occurs when new money is created at a consistently greater rate than the increase in the supply of tangible assets, resulting in rising prices, reduced demand for financial assets, and increasing interest rates. This situation arises as greater and greater levels of debt are needed to sustain a stock market or real estate bubble, or to pay for government/business expansion, or simply to service the repayments on existing debt (both private and government).

Throughout history people have accumulated precious metals to defend their wealth from destruction as every form of paper currency ever created has been devalued through inflation. This is the second reason to own gold : Gold is the only form of money which has maintained its purchasing power over a long period of time.

US Money Supply Versus The Gold Price

Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, American investors were gripped by a fear that their national currency would continue to lose purchasing power . There was a complete lack of confidence in the government's ability to restrict the expansion of the money supply, culminating in panic buying of precious metals in 1979/1980 as investors desperately sought to protect themselves from the effects of inflation.

The response of the US Federal Reserve at the time was to put the brakes on money supply growth through the instigation of extremely high interest rates. This policy achieved its purpose and by 1982 the rate of increase in the money supply was trending downwards, interest rates had fallen from their peaks, and the fear of inflation had abated. Investment capital had responded to the changed situation by moving from commodities into financial assets, and the great equities bull market had begun.

Below is a chart showing the relationship between the total US money supply (M3), M3 growth rates (shown as annualised monthly figures), and the gold price, from 1972 to present time. It can be seen from this chart that the gold price tracked the increase in money supply from 1972 until 1982, apart from the 1979/1980 spike. Between 1982 and the early 1990s the M3 growth rate trended downwards to a low point of zero in 1992. During this period money flowed into financial assets as confidence was restored in the ability of the Fed to control inflation, whilst the gold price remained relatively stable (apart from the 1985 to 1987 period when the G5 tried to "fix" the US trade deficit by engineering a 40% depreciation in the US dollar, which in turn led to a rising gold price and culminated in the 1987 share market crash as foreign capital panicked out of US assets) .

Since 1993, the M3 growth rate has been trending upwards and is currently around 9%. Studies have shown that increasing money supply growth rates lead the commodities markets by 1.5 to 3 years. This means that we should have seen a rising gold price in US dollars by 1995/1996. What we have actually witnessed, however, is a declining gold price. In fact, with money supply now increasing at rates not seen since the early 1980s and the gold price falling almost continuously since February 1996, the chart shows a distinct divergence between the two . This has contributed to the currently popular belief that increasing the quantity of money no longer results in rising prices.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, gold has performed quite well during recent years when measured in terms of almost any currency with the exception of the US dollar. In other words, gold has performed its historical function as a store of value for anyone living outside the US. However, since 1995, the time at which we would have expected to see the increasing supply of US dollars begin to have an impact on the gold price, a massive shift of investment into the US dollar has occurred. The excess dollars which have been created due to expanding US debt levels and trade deficits have been absorbed by foreign investors looking for stability. The seemingly insatiable demand of foreign capital for US dollars has been stimulated even further by the Asian financial crisis. The US is now seen as the only safe place in the world for investment.

The demand of foreign capital for US dollars and US debt has allowed US interest rates to remain at relatively low levels, given the money supply growth rate and the strength of the economy, and has supported a speculative boom in the US stock market since 1995. The US stock market is itself supported by debt, and that debt is in turn supported by the value of the stock market. A significant downturn in the stock market would most likely lead to widespread defaults on loans, a financial collapse and a severe recession.

This situation will be avoided at all costs by the US political and monetary authorities using the power of the US Federal Reserve to "…discount loans and other assets of banks or other private depository institutions, thereby converting potentially illiquid private assets into riskless claims on the government in the form of deposits at the central bank." If the Fed must purchase every non-performing loan in the US in order to avoid a serious recession, it will be done. A boom feeds on itself and is always propelled by liquidity. Once a speculative boom has occurred, liquidity must be maintained in order to avoid a bust. Look for continued high levels of US money supply growth.

Conclusion

The entire US financial system is based on confidence - the confidence of foreign investors who continue to pour money into US dollar assets, and the confidence of local investors who are betting their life savings on a continued stock market boom. Recent experience in Asia suggests that this extraordinarily high level of confidence in financial assets may be overdone.

In the near term, the above-ground stock of gold will most likely continue to be a hindrance to any sustainable rally in the gold price. The supply of gold will probably increase over the coming months as European CBs sell gold in the lead up to selection of the initial EMU participants in May 1998. At the same time, uncertainty regarding EMU and on-going problems in Asia should continue to support the US dollar.

However, it must be remembered that there are 3.8 billion ounces of gold in the world and the supply is increasing by 1.75% each year (probably less for the next few years due to mine closures), whereas there are 5,300 billion US dollars in the world and the supply is increasing by 9% each year. The end result is obvious.

Gold Mining in Malaysia

The total amount of raw gold produced in 2003 was about 4,739 kilograms.

Gold mining was carried out in the states of Pahang (5), Kelantan (2) and Terengganu (1).

Pahang produced 99% of the country’s total raw gold production. A total of 836 workers were employed in these mines at the end of the year.

Sejarah Emas Dunia

Komoditi emas mula didagangkan di Spot Market bermula pada tahun 1992, ianya bermula dengan harga serendah $345.63 per oz bersamaan RM 38.50 segram (mengambil kira $1 = RM 3.50), kemudian pada tahun 1996, di sebabkan kemelesetan ekonomi dunia harga emas telah menurun kepada paras terendah untuk selama2nye iaitu pada harga $249.42 per oz. Disebabkan krisis kemelesetan yang begitu hebat pada waktu itu, ekonomi dunia dan komoditi emas mengambil masa selama hampir 5 tahun untuk proses "Recovery" atau baik pulih semula iaitu sehingga pada tahun 2001.


Sejak dari itu harga emas di pasaran dunia terus-menerus meningkat saban tahun sehinggalah pada tahun 2007, sekali lagi krisis ekonomi berlaku di sebabkan "Sub-Prime Crisis" atau krisis sub-prima sekaligus menyebabkan harga emas menurun daripada $963.69 kepada $724.63. Namun, berpandukan kisah hitam 10 tahun yang lalu, beberapa langkah drastik telah diambil oleh A.S untuk memperbaiki krisis itu, dan dalam hanya beberapa bulan sahaja harga emas telah kembali meningkat kepada $981.18 per oz. Bertitik tolak dari krisis dunia kali ke-2 ini, masyarakat telah mula sedar bahawa punca kepada semua krisis ekonomi dunia ialah disebabkan pengamalan sistem ekonomi kapitalis yang menyebabkan berlakunya Inflasi (kejatuhan nilai wang) dari tahun ke tahun di seluruh dunia.

Kesinambungan itu, ramai masyarakat telah mula menyimpan kekayaan di dalam bentuk emas fizikal berbanding wang ringgit, yang mana ianya memegang nilainya sendiri dan tidak seperti wang kertas yang mana nilainya perlu bersandarkan dengan rizab simpanan emas di sesebuah negara itu. Sejak itu harga emas terus meningkat saban tahun iaitu dari $981.18 per oz, kini telah mencapai paras tertinggi dalam sejarah harga emas dunia iaitu melebihi $1500.00 per oz!! Lihat, betapa tingginya permintaan terhadap besi kuning ini sedangkan penawarannya amat terhad dan ianya adalah semulajadi.

Justeru, marilah sama-sama kita menyimpan kekayaan dalam bentuk emas, agar wang yang disimpan tidak susut nilainya di telan Inflasi.

Feng Shui Stock 2011

Untuk dikongsi bersama, just for the fun of it...