Free Republic

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold surged to a record high above $1,040 per ounce on Tuesday, with buying fueled by dollar weakness after a report, later denied, that Gulf Arab states were considering abandoning the U.S. currency for oil trade. Both spot gold prices and U.S. gold futures have benefited from a convergence of factors including the dollar's decline, technical buying momentum and worries about potential inflation as central banks struggle to emerge from unprecedented fiscal stimulus measures. "In an environment where interest rates are virtually zero, the incremental cost of moving into gold is nil. It stands to reason for...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Putting the faces of U.S. presidents on dollar coins would entice collectors, but there still would be challenges in getting the coins into cash registers and people's pockets, the chief of the U.S. Mint said Wednesday. The comments of Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore came during a House hearing that, among other things, explored a legislative proposal aimed at breathing new life in the little-used Sacagawea dollar coin, also called the Golden Dollar because of its golden color. The proposal would replace Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone Indian who helped Lewis and Clark find their way to the...