Investors continue to view gold as a substitute currency to preserve purchasing power and as insurance against potential monetary turmoil (e.g. inflation).

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In a digital twist, tourists receive a card with a code number on it, and later, they can view the images online and decide if any of the prints are worth purchasing.

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So, a better way of thinking about the volatility of gold and other commodity prices is to view it as a 40-year period of unprecedented volatility in the price or purchasing power of the dollar.

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"We took the long view that by working together we could make them competitive, " says Timothy Myers, a purchasing executive for Honda of America.

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And in Hong Kong the view seems to be that buying stock in a high-tech start-up is akin to purchasing a lottery ticket.

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