The Really Useful Gold Thread

VVV - you can put gold bullion into a sipp; why not as interest rates are so low? It only has to make 5%+ p/a to beat cash. I don't know the holding rules - i.e. where and who holds it, best bet would be in a personal safe box somewhere if allowed. Cash in the bank is all well and good, until sh** hits the fan. Mervyn King spoke out about the banks' deposit/lending ratio around August/September. It is around 4-5:1. That is, your cash is not in the bank. The banks gear your money up, then lend to, say, a hedge fund which gears 10:1 on average. Your £1000 could be £30-50k in an interest rate or forex gamble, the money having gone through numerous hands.
If the fan remains unsoiled, the best we can hope for is real inflation doesn't increase beyond it's present level, which is way above CPI. Money in the bank is not getting enough interest - what you get is taxed.
Gold and silver make an attractive alternative.