Gold

Gold has become the best performing asset class over one, three and 10 years as a result of the current commodity boom.

The gold price has traded at $1000 an ounce for the first time as the weak US dollar and fears about the US economy prompt investors to buy the precious metal.

Global commodity demand has pushed Russia into the economic stratosphere, says Barings Asset Management.

Demand for commodities is set to continue to outstrip supply meaning good news for the investor, according to JPMorgan.

Commodities should be on every investor's wish lists as the sector is in the middle of a ‘super cycle' that occurs only once every 50 years, according to BlackRock Merrill Lynch.

A lack of understanding of commodity markets among financial advisers could lead to investors buying unsuitable products, the FSA has warned.

The rising number of products designed to give investors easier access to gold show there has been a rise in demand in the resource, according to JPMorgan.

The FTSE 100 Index has risen 19.7 points, or 0.4%, to 5642.5 so far this morning led by commodities companies BP, BHP Billiton and Anglo American as oil trades near $60 a barrel and gold prices increase.

THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS is attempting to overturn the new Sipps pensions tax break for the rich which is expected to cost the Government £2bn a year within four years, says this morning's Times newspaper.

Gold will continue to remain the preferred precious metal while changes in underlying demand could see silver's status downgraded to an industrial metal, says research from International Financial Services London (IFSL).