As it turned out, however, there was one asset that outpaced them all, even though it generates no income: gold, and to an even greater extent, its junior sibling silver. With government debt soaring out of control, the precious metals are more valuable than ever – and so long as that is true, they will keep on climbing. The gold price rose by 60 per cent, from $2,600 an ounce when the year started to more than $4,500 by its end. In a world of soaring government debt, gold is the only real hedge. To: SeekAndFind"With government debt soaring out of control, the precious metals are more valuable than ever – and so long as that is true, they will keep on climbing."