Germany’s central bank is the second biggest holder of gold bullion in reserves, second only to the U.S. The German central bank owns 3,395.5 tonnes of gold, comprising 72.4% of its entire reserves. (Source: World Gold Council, October 2012.) But all of this gold bullion is not held by the Deutsche Bundesbank, the central bank of Germany. The majority of Germany’s gold is stored in other central banks: 66% of it is held by the Federal Reserve; 21% is held by the Bank of England; and eight percent is held by the Bank of France. (Source: Market Watch October 31, 2012.) Germany holds the majority of its gold in these other central banks for “security and convenience” purposes. Recently, this caught the attention of the general public, politicians, and the media in Germany. They are demanding that the government audit Bundesbank and bring all the German-owned gold back to the country. (Source: Market Watch October 31, 2012.) Why is all this happening? On the surface, the gold held by the central bank in Germany is only worth 144 billion euros; meanwhile, the gross domestic product of the country is much higher than that—almost 20 times larger than the Bundesbank’s gold holdings. (Source: Business Standards November 1, 2012.) So, why care about the gold held by the central bank? The issue in my opinion is much bigger than it appears. The “Bring Back Our Gold” movement in Germany illustrates three things that I have been talking for far too long in these pages—way before anyone started to talk about it. Firstly, countries want gold with them rather than anywhere else. Gold in hand is better than debits or credits saying “You have this much gold.” Secondly, this is a prime example of how people are losing trust in a monetary system that creates money out of thin air. The demands for auditing the German central bank are a clear signal people don’t trust what the bank says. Lastly, maybe Germans are scared that other regions and their neighboring eurozone members will weigh heavy on the shared currency, the euro , and, if the currency dissolves, the country will need its gold in hand to base the new measure of exchange on. What do I get from all of this? The public appetite is turning to gold—and why shouldn’t it? Many central banks have ruined the wealth of their citizens by flooding their economies with monopoly money and manipulated interest rates. This movement by the people of Germany to bring back the gold to the country and audit their central back is unique, but not unexpected. I will not be surprised if the trend of demanding an audit ... Read More