What's really happening in the physical gold and silver markets

Gold and silver retailers have been reporting insatiable demand recently. There is certainly a shortage of small bars and coins, but what about the metals themselves? Dominic Frisby finds out exactly what's going on.

In recent months it's been widely and repeatedly reported that retail demand for physical gold and silver is insatiable. The price may be falling in the futures markets, but retail dealers in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa have all described the situation as 'unprecedented'.

There's a shortage of coins, few people are prepared to sell the coins they have, and manufacturers of coins and bars do not have the fabrication capacity to meet current orders, causing longer and longer waiting times.

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