For time immemorial, gold has been revered as one of the most valuable metals. In fact, it is one of the oldest metals to be discovered. Man has utilized it for ages, and has come up with unlimited number of uses. Nowadays, this precious metal has a million uses, one very different from the rest. It has been uses as the factor that determines the level of investment. The reason for this is that it has a stable value as compared to money. However, there are still a factors that affect its price. Each investor may value an ounce of gold differently.

Time is a factor that affects all material things. Gold, since it is a valuable metal, increases in price as time passes. An investor from ten or twenty years ago will term it to be of a very different value from the kind that will be operating in twenty years time.

A shortage of it in the mines will mean that there will be less supply in the market. The lesser there is, the higher the price will be. During the period when there is a large supply of this valuable metal, investors will find it to be quite inexpensive and will hold less value for it.

Price manipulation has also been affecting its value for a long time. Those who are involved in the association and cartels can attest to this fact. For those who are in a market that is under major control by these trade organizations will find it to be quite expensive. Therefore, they will price an ounce of gold at a higher rate than that of the one who is in a situation where there is less control over its price.

When there is a very high demand for it, the supply becomes unable to fulfill the needs of all the consumers. The little metal that is available is thus sold at a very high price. During this period, an investor will view it with such high regard and at a high rate. When there is a low demand for it, the prices go down and investors will view an ounce of gold with a very low regard.

The government will at times interfere with the market and control the prices. It does this mainly by taxation. In economies where the government taxes more on this valuable metal, it is more expensive and thus investors rate it more.

Location is another huge factor affecting it. In areas where it is in plenty, and where proper mining of it is carried out, its price is lower than areas where there is no mining of this valuable metal. Investors from rich mineral deposits areas will thus attach less value to the ounce of gold. On the other hand, the one who comes from an area which it is less will attach more value to the same ounce of gold.

Currency valuation is another huge determinant. In some countries, the rate of currency is quite low while in some others it is very high. For those who reside in countries where the rate of currency is quite high, this valuable metal will seem cheaper. Investors in these countries will term an ounce of gold to be of little value. The countries where the value of currency is very low will have it seeming more expensive, thus investors in these countries will term an ounce of this valuable metal to be quite valuable.

Depending on the amount of income that the investor is receiving, they will be able to determine the price of an ounce of this precious metal. Investors who receive quite huge sums of money will be able to afford more this metal, hence to them, an ounce of gold will be worth less. To those who earn very little income, they can afford very small amount of it hence will rate it to be very cheap.

This precious metal is a hedging tool, a storehouse of value, a way to see incredible returns, and it has barter value if currency ever becomes worthless. Investors should therefore be careful when dealing with cartels. Choose reputable ones.

To sum it up, the above factors, as well as many others, will cause the price of this valuable metal to change from time to time. This thus proves that each investor may value an ounce of gold differently. What one may consider sufficient enough to run their business, another will term as too little.