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Gold definitely has caught the public’s attention; for proof, just look at the number of cash for gold ads. Gold has been rising since 2001 and its near vertical rise over the last two years helps explain some of the recent fascination, but political actions have helped as well. In the United States, Rep. Ron Paul and others have called for a return to the gold standard. Elsewhere, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez recently nationalized his country’s gold industries, and some analysts have said countries should dip into their gold reserves to alleviate the sovereign debt crisis. With all these recent stories, we wanted to see which countries actually have the most gold in their reserves, based on information from the World Gold Council. [Take a look at the list below.] Words: 565

So says Michael J. McFarlin (www.futuresmag.com) in excerpts from his original article* as further edited ([ ]), abridged (…) and reformatted (some sub-titles and bold/italics emphases) by Lorimer Wilson, editor of www.FinancialArticleSummariesToday.com (A site for sore eyes and inquisitive minds) and www.munKNEE.com (Your Key to Making Money!) where deemed appropriate to provide clarity and brevity to ensure a fast and easy read.

McFarlin goes on to say:

Honorable Mention: Venezuela

Although Venezuela technically is number 13 on the list behind Taiwan [#11] and Portugal [#12], Venezuela President Hugo Chávez’s move to nationalize his country’s gold industry was the catalyst for this list. With gold and oil under his control, perhaps now he can possess that pinnacle of dictatorial decadence…

Tonnes: 322.9

% of reserves: 60.8%

#10: India

The world’s second most populous country barely made the top 10 list…[even though it] consumes more gold than any other…

Tonnes: 557.7

% of reserves: 8.7%

#9: Netherlands

Although known for being a fairly liberal society, the Netherlands is fairly conservative in its financial reserves…

Tonnes: 612.5

% of reserves: 58.9%

#8: Japan

Gold only constitutes a very small percentage of Japan’s overall reserves. Like another Asian country on this list, Japan holds a significant number of U.S. dollars in its reserves…

Tonnes: 765.2

% of reserves: 3.3%

#7: Russia

As the world’s number five gold producing nation, Russia’s gold reserves have grown significantly over the last couple years…

Tonnes: 836.7

% of reserves: 7.7%

#6: Switzerland

Beyond watches, chocolate and pocket knives, Switzerland is best known as a financial center…

Tonnes: 1,040.1

% of reserves: 17.8%

#5: China

[Although China is] the world’s most populous nation…[its] gold holdings are only 1.6% of its total reserves…[given the fact that] it has more than $3 trillion in U.S. dollars in its reserve.

Tonnes: 1,054.1

% of reserves: 1.6%

#4: France

The French National Bank, Banque De France, is home to the country’s gold holdings…

Tonnes: 2,435.4

% of reserves: 66.2%

#3: Italy

Italy is the only top 10 country to also make the prestigious “PIIGS” list of Eurozone countries with sovereign debt problems (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain), although Portugal just missed the list at number 12…

Tonnes: 2,451.8

% of reserves: 71.2%

#2: Germany

The largest economy in the Eurozone also has the largest reserve of gold…

Tonnes: 3,401.0

% of reserves: 71.4%

#1: United States

The United States holds nearly 30% of the 27,372.6 tonnes of gold in all sovereign reserves. Although Fort Knox is the iconic location of U.S. gold, more gold actually is stored in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s underground vault, although not all of it belongs to the U.S. government…

Tonnes: 8,133.5

% of reserves: 74.2%

[Editor’s Note: The article’s views and conclusions are unaltered and no personal comments have been included to maintain the integrity of the original article. Please note that this paragraph must be included in any article re-posting to avoid copyright infringement.]

*http://www.futuresmag.com/Exclusives/2011/8/Pages/Global-Gold-Holdings.aspx?page=12

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