Gold is one of the most difficult financial assets to
value. Gold is similar to a currency like the U.S. dollar
or the euro because it is durable, portable, uniform
across the world, and widely accepted; however, unlike
these more commonly traded currencies, gold is not
supported by an underlying economy of workers,
companies, and infrastructure.
In other ways, gold is more similar to a commodity
like oil or corn because it comes from the ground and
has standardized physical characteristics. Unlike other
commodities, though, the price of gold often fluctuates
independently of its industrial supply and demand.