Chart of the day: Investors’ obsession with gold

Gold is up roughly 13% since the beginning of the year and a number of bullion bulls – including John Paulson – are becoming more vocal about the prospects of gold prices going forward.

“By the time inflation becomes evident, gold will probably have moved, which implies that now is the time to build a position in gold,” John Paulson said in a letter to investors obtained by Bloomberg earlier this week.

And while recent trends have made gold a friend to many investors, U.S. Global pointed out in an interactive chart (below) that investors have been obsessed with gold since…well…there were investors.

The appeal of gold, U.S. Global pointed out, has ranged from “pharaohs to hedge funds” starting in 4,600 B.C. Take a look at the interactive chart below and drag on the gold nugget to advance the timeline:

Source: U.S. Global Investors