Gold

ETF Securities has released the Physical Swiss Gold Shares, an open-ended trust backed by physical gold, on NYSE Arca.

Gold has broken though the $1,000 an ounce barrier for the first time in six months, as doubts grow about the strength of the global recovery.

ETF Securities has recorded 85% growth in its global assets under management to exceed $13bn, since the beginning of this year.

Julius Baer has created a structured version of its Physical Gold fund to provide a capital-protected ETF.

Canada Life International (CLI) has added the Julius Baer Physical Gold fund to its single and regular premium investment bonds.

Clients will be intensifying their search for income in 2009 with investment grade bonds proving particularly attractive, according to Justin Oliver, co-manager of the Collins Stewart multi-manager funds.

The price of gold has risen 8% since the start of the credit crunch, in contrast to the ailing FTSE 100 which has plunged 28% in the same period, according to Clerical Medical.

Dips in energy prices, metals and soft commodities are part of a short-term correction in a long-term bull run supported by enduring fundamentals, according to commodities experts.

Financial advisers should consider protecting their clients' portfolios from increasing economic uncertainty by diversifying into gold, according to Stephen Flood, director of Gold Investments.

With the price of gold rising by more than $200 over the past year, retail investors have begun to flock to the booming commodity.