When it comes to investments, there are a vast number of voices clamoring with advice and predictions. Many of these voices have vast resources with which to sift through all of the various global economic factors that should enable at least an educated forecast of the conditions to come.

In general, gold predictors expected a bullish climate for gold in 2012. 2011 had seen gold reach a peak of $1923/oz in September. The general thought from just about every investment firm, bank and financial guru worth mentioning was that the primary conditions that were driving gold; namely inflation and negative real interest rates, would persist.