For “hard money” advocates, this has been a remarkable month. Gold has risen by more than $100, silver has begun to surge, and the headlines are full of news items quite capable of raising public concerns to crisis levels.

It’s been no secret that the prices of gold and silver have been moving upward at a fast clip in recent months. Gold has soared 27 percent so far this year. There has not been a significant drop-off in production, so it’s been evident that an increase in demand has been a part of the force driving the price upward.