Tough times for the economy are usually accompanied by a spike in the price of gold. The past year has been no different. Faced with a continuation of massive government capital injections into the financial system, growing fears of inflation and worries about the size of deficits within key economies, it’s little wonder investors have rushed into the yellow metal, driving prices up to all-time highs.

The February 2010 gold futures contract on Comex reached a record high of $1,218.30 an ounce on