Too bad you didn't buy gold right after Set 11, 2001. It was then about 250-275 per ounce. Never underestimate the power of gold in a bad economy or world troubles. It is the safest investment these days
Not if we are in a deflationary period. Gold declined from $800 in 1979 to $250-$275 as you say in 2001. From 1979 to 2001, we did have inflation.
Gold rose and then declined to around $300 in 2008 when we had the financial bailouts at the end of Bush's second term. It has risen ever since, but if we find ourselves in a deflationary period, Gold could sink again.
Fearing deflation, the world governments have been pumping paper money into the economies, and with the worry over the debt crisises in Europe and the US, people have been exchanging their paper currency for Gold and Silver.
So the statement, it is the safest investment can be misleading. If deflation wins, Gold will deflate as well. But if the worse case scenario happens, stagflation, Gold would be a wise investment indeed, because the paper money would end up to be worthless.