美国金币销量激增

Demand for gold coins in the US has soared since the presidential election, as small investors fret about the lack of action to address America’s ballooning debt.

总统大选结束以来，美国市场对金币的需求量急剧增加，主要因为小投资者担心美国政府不会采取切实措施削减不断攀升的债务。

The US Mint’s sales of American Eagles, one of the most popular gold coins, leapt 131 per cent in November to about $230m at current gold prices, their highest level in more than two years. The Royal Canadian Mint also had its strongest month of sales this year.

今年11月，美国财政部造币厂(US Mint)的美国鹰洋(American Eagles)销量激增131%，按当前金价计约为2.30亿美元，达到两年多以来的最高值。鹰洋是最受市场欢迎的金币品种之一。加拿大皇家造币厂(Royal Canadian Mint)所产金币11月销量也创下今年月度最高纪录。

Terry Hanlon, president of metals at Dillon Gage, US bullion dealer, said sales had risen sharply “within a day or two of the election. “You’ve got a lot of people who are very worried about the economy. With the election they saw that nothing was going to change, he said.

美国贵金属交易商Dillon Gage金属业务总裁特里·汉伦(Terry Hanlon)表示，大选结束后的“一两天内，金币销量大幅升高。他表示：“我们看到，担心美国经济状况的人非常多。选举结果让他们看到，现状不会发生一丝一毫的改变。

While coins are a small part of the gold market, the jump in sales highlights gold’s role as the favoured investment of disenchanted Americans. The political gridlock in Washington and the prospect of further quantitative easing when the Fed-eral Reserve’s “operation twist expires at the end of this year have fuelled small investors’ demand for precious metals.

尽管金币只占黄金市场的一小部分，但其销量大增仍突出表明，黄金是对形势感到失望的美国人所青睐的投资品种。华盛顿的政治僵局，加上今年底“扭转操作(Operation Twist)到期时美联储(Fed)有可能进一步出台量化宽松(QE)的前景，导致小投资者对贵金属的需求量出现上升。

Tobina Kahn, who runs a jewellery dealership in Chicago, said: “Obama did me a favour in some ways. Now people are buying gold and jewels not because they like them but because of fear. They’re trying to protect their wealth.

在芝加哥经营一家珠宝经销店的托比那·卡恩(Tobina Kahn)表示：“奥巴马(Obama)在某些方面帮了我的忙。目前人们购买黄金和珠宝，并非出于喜爱，而是出于担忧。他们在想方设法保护自己的财富。

Despite the increase in coin purchases, the gold market has struggled for momentum in recent weeks. Prices last week dropped below $1,685 a troy ounce for the first time in a month and some hedge funds have begun to lose patience with the precious metal’s lacklustre performance.

尽管金币销量在增加，但最近几周黄金市场一直表现乏力。上周，金价一个月来首次跌破每盎司1685美元，有些对冲基金已开始对金市的疲弱表现失去耐心。