What is gold?
- Physical properties – color, luster, density, malleability, ductility, conductivity
- Chemical properties – atomic structure, reactivity, oxidation states, alloying
- Geological occurrence – how it forms naturally, primary/secondary deposits, major sources
- Mining techniques – placer mining, hard rock mining, byproduct mining, new technologies
- Mining locations – top producing countries/mines, distribution of reserves worldwide
- Mining companies – major players, juniors, royalty companies, operational challenges
- Mineral processing – crushing, milling, gravity separation, froth flotation, smelting
- Refining – removing impurities, electrolysis, casting into bars/coins, assaying
- Forms of gold – bars, coins, jewelry, decorative items, dust, ETFs, trading on futures exchanges
- Jewelry making – history, goldsmithing, carats, hallmarking, major manufacturers
- Industrial applications – electronics, aerospace, glassmaking, dentistry, medicine
- Photography – early photographic processes using gold salts, coloring
- Food & beverage – gold leaf, goldschläger liqueur, goldwasser, Gold Strike chewing gum
- Research areas – catalysis, nanotechnology, renewable energy, space applications
- History – early civilizations, Spanish conquest, gold rushes, Fort Knox
- Estimated total amount mined to date
- Above ground stocks – holdings by governments/central banks, private investment
- Supply and demand trends – mining output, recycling, consumption patterns
- Gold pricing – London fix, spot price, gold futures, ETFs, factors affecting price
- Market participants – miners, refiners, banks, exchanges, jewelers, retail buyers
- Futures exchanges – COMEX, Tokyo Commodity Exchange, others
- Trading centers – London, Zurich, Hong Kong, Dubai, Mumbai
- Central bank holdings – purpose, transparency, major holders
- Commercial bank operations – bullion desks, storage, gold accounts/loans
- Retail investment vehicles – bars, coins, jewelry, ETFs, digital gold
- Gold standards – use in monetary systems, end of gold standard
- Gold regulations – taxation, trading, import/export, anti-money laundering
- Common investment strategies – hedging, diversification, futures, allocated accounts
- Refineries – major companies, facilities, capabilities, certifications
- Assaying – determining purity, methods, hallmarking
- Secure storage – bullion vaults, third-party storage, private storage
- Transportation and security – Brinks, G4S, other carriers, anti-theft measures
- Counterfeiting – fakes, protection methods, detecting forgeries
- Reporting entities – World Gold Council, GFMS, Metals Focus, CPM Group
- Top gold analysts and forecasters
- Gold mining stocks – major companies, risks, factors affecting stock prices
- Royalty and streaming companies – business model, major players, advantages
- Mergers and acquisitions – recent deals, trends in industry consolidation
- Gold scrap – recycling, cash for gold, refining scrap metal
- Sustainability issues – mining impacts, conflict gold, clean gold certification
- Artisanal and small-scale mining – practices, challenges, risks, groups involved
- Gold mining methods over time – placer, hard rock, byproduct, heap leaching
- Effects of discoveries and technological advances – California, South Africa, cyanide process
- Major historical events involving gold – Spanish importing, gold rushes, gold confiscation
- Famous mines – Witwatersrand, Homestake, Barrick, Grasberg, Goldstrike
- Terms and slang – ounce, pennyweight, dore, bullion, dust, placer
- Taxes – capital gains, sales taxes, import duties, tax reporting requirements
- Scams – “free gold” offers, fake mining companies, leveraged accounts
- Futures and options – how they work, strategies for producers/investors
- Historical gold prices – key events affecting price, long-term charts
- Correlation with other markets – stocks, bonds, oil, inflation, interest rates
- Seasonal price patterns – Love Trade, wedding season in India
- Numismatics – collectible coins, grading, shows, investing in rare coins
- ETFs – biggest gold ETFs, pros/cons, role in price discovery
- Digital gold – cryptocurrencies, blockchain, non-fungible tokens
- Gold in popular culture – references, idioms, movie portrayals
- Famous heists – Die Hard 3, England’s Great Train Robbery, Peru’s Lima airport
- Role of gold in society – store of value, fear/greed psychology, safe haven
- Distribution of global reserves – geographical imbalance, national interests
- Peak gold theories – declining discoveries, grades, production
- Gold artifacts – Egyptian tombs, Inca/Aztec, Akan goldweights, ancient jewelry
- Alchemy – lead to gold, philosophers’ stone, quest for immortality
- Nobel Prizes – gold medal award, gold coating
- Olympic medals – gold, silver, bronze medals and meaning
- Records – most expensive object (100 kg gold birthing planter), gold cubes
- World’s largest gold bar – 250 kg worth $14.6 million
- Consumption by industry – technology, dentistry, aerospace, medicine
- Consumption by country – India, China, central banks, retail investment
- Goldschläger – cinnamon schnapps with gold flakes
- Gold leaf – edible decoration, art, architecture, Hindu temples
- Gold treatments – electroplating, gilding, gold vermeil, applying gold leaf
- Karats – measure of purity, 24K pure gold and lower karat alloys
- Hallmarks – stamps indicating gold purity, required in some countries
- Mining terminology – troy ounces, grams, pennyweights, assay, dore
- Origins of name – from Anglo-Saxon gold and Latin aurum
- Gold in ancient times – Egyptians, Aztecs, early uses in jewelry, currency
- The California Gold Rush – 1848-1855, impact on westward expansion
- Black Hills Gold Rush – Dakota Territory, 1876-1877 after Custer expedition
- Klondike Gold Rush – Yukon, Canada 1896-1899,连接 Alaska
- Gold confiscation – 1933 Executive Order by FDR banning private holding
- Major historical milestones – Bretton Woods, end of gold standard, gold ETFs
- Famous investors – Mansa Musa, Rothschilds, George Soros, John Paulson
- First gold coins – Lydian staters, Greek, Persian Daric, Aureus
- Largest holders today – US Treasury, Germany’s Bundesbank, IMF, Italy
- Gold volatility compared to other asset classes
- Correlation to inflation/deflation and monetary supply
- Bible references – Solomon’s temple, streets of heaven, golden calf
- Tax considerations – US like-kind exchange, capital gains rates, reporting
- Common frauds – fake gold bars, leveraged accounts, cash for gold scams
- Digital gold and cryptocurrencies – tokenized gold, Bitcoin vs gold debate
- Alternative investments – platinum, silver, diamonds, art, antiques
- producde in nuclear reactions – extra-terrestrial gold signatures
- Factoids – melting point, symbol Au, densities, isotopes
- World Gold Council – industry group, launches, market research
- London gold fix – benchmark price, AM/PM fix rituals, historical
- Notable heists – gold robberies, thefts, famous stolen artifacts
- Role in computing – gold plating contacts, NASA circuits, radiation shielding
- Culinary uses – gold leaf, goldschläger liquor, goldwasser digestif
- Antibacterial qualities – medical applications, gold nanoparticles
- Unique properties – incorruptible, malleable, lustrous, high ductility