THE Reserve Bank sold most of the nation’s gold reserves more than a decade ago because the board believed its price would remain flat

They believed also the commodity would not play a role in a future financial crisis.

The decision to sell 167 tonnes of the bank’s reserves has cost the nation about $5 billion based on today’s soaring price of almost $1400 an ounce.

A board paper recommending the decision to sell conceded that gold served as “insurance against a breakdown in the international financial system”, but it then dismissed the need for holding this valuable asset. The paper has been obtained by The Australian under Freedom of Information laws. Read full story

In terms of gold holdings per country Australia is now number 37! Thank you Peter Costello.