7 May 2014 - 150 years later, a Gold Rush ship yields treasures

Posted: 07 May 2014 03:44 AM PDT

From:http://www.cbsnews.com/news/150-years-later-a-gold-rush-ship-yields-treasures/

ByAIMEE PICCHI MONEY WATCH May 5

More than 150 years ago, the Gold Rush-era vessel SS Central America was carrying a large gold consignment when it was hit by a hurricane off the coast of South Carolina and sank. With U.S. banks never getting delivery of that gold, the disaster contributed to the financial crisis known as the Panic of 1857.

But the ship is now providing a new lucky strike for Odyssey Marine Exploration (OMEX), which has recovered 1,000 ounces of gold from the ship, which lies at a depth of 7,200 feet. The recovered items include two $20 Double Eagle coins and five gold ingots, the company said on Monday.

Odyssey Marine, which was awarded an exploration contract in March after two decades of legal issues and battles over ownership were finally cleared, has now become the first company to revisit the shipwreck in decades, with its recovery efforts confirming that more gold remains to be salvaged. Gold ingots and other artifacts were "clearly visible on the surface of the site," the company said in a statement. Other items recovered included a piece of pottery, a sample of the vessel's wooden structure and a bottle.

"This dive confirms for me that the site has not been disturbed since 1991, when I was last there," Bob Evans chief scientist and historian for Recovery Limited Partnership, in the statement. Recovery Limited Partnership was ruled the legal owner of the shipwreck.

The recovery effort comes after excavations from 1988 to 1991 pulled up gold coins, bullion and raw gold. While the exact value of the remaining treasure will be based on some unknowns -- such as how much is exactly still there, as well as its quality -- Odyssey Marine president Mark Gordon told investors in March that the remaining gold could be worth as much as $85 million, The New York Times notes.

The company on Monday said experts estimate the ship holds a commercial shipment of gold valued at $93,000 in 1857, as well as a "substantial amount of passenger gold," with an estimated Gold Rush-era value of as much as $1.28 million. On Ebay, a $20 gold coin billed as salvaged from the wreck is now selling for $26,500.

So what's next for Odyssey? The company will first take a full "pre-disturbance survey," and then undertake an archeological excavation to recover the remaining gold. Scientific research will also be undertaken with Dr. Timothy Shank of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Odyssey, whose shares have gained about 8 percent this year, will receive 80 percent of the recovery proceeds until a certain threshold, and then will receive 45 percent after that. The company said it may not announce the recovery of more treasure until it has stored the gold safely on shore.

Source:http://www.cbsnews.com/news/150-years-later-a-gold-rush-ship-yields-treasures/

7 May 2014 - 俄罗斯受制裁或减持美债黄金将成储备更好选择

Posted: 07 May 2014 03:42 AM PDT

From:http://gold.hexun.com/2014-05-07/164554847.html

2014年05月07日08:37 来源：FX168

金价近年来的大幅下跌使得很多投资者怀疑，黄金的黄金岁月是否已经过去了。事实上，在经历了10年大涨后，金价的表现却是会引起一些怀疑，但近期乌克兰局势的发展，西方各国央行储备的重新配置以及黄金市场的扩张都可能成为金价下一波上涨的催化剂。

乌克兰的局势是近期黄金市场的重要支撑，避险需求推动了金价的上涨。西方国家甚至对俄罗斯采取了制裁，这使得俄罗斯政府更为脆弱。随着乌克兰局势发展，纽约联储保管账户中的美国国债数量有明显减少，不禁让人猜测在几周前，由于担心美国的制裁，俄罗斯在快速收回其持有的美国国债。

因此，俄罗斯将不太愿意增加美国国债的持有，更明智的选择，是以黄金和其它贵金属的持有来多样化其储备。

俄罗斯大约持有1260亿美元的美债，如果出售其中一部分并用来购买黄金，那么对于黄金市场供求将带来很大影响。即使俄罗斯拿出其4390亿美元的外汇储备中的1000亿美元购买黄金，那么可以买差不多2000吨，是2013年全年黄金产量的75%左右。这毫无疑问将对金价产生很大影响。

如果黄金的产量增加，黄金市场扩张，那么金价会有很大变化。尽管对别的商品而言，供应越多价格越低，但黄金市场整体而言相较全球央行储备是非常小的，因此各国央行要扩大黄金储备总是会显得很犹豫。

比如说，如果俄罗斯真的配置1000亿美元到黄金中，这需要很长一段时间才能完成，因为短时间内的大量购买会推高价格。俄罗斯或者中国等国的黄金储备不多并不因为货币更吸引人，而是因为黄金市场这种低流动性。如果黄金市场扩张，每天有更多黄金被交易，流动性就增加了，这会增加黄金作为外汇储备的吸引力。

Source:http://gold.hexun.com/2014-05-07/164554847.html

7 May 2014 - 150 years later, a Gold Rush ship yields treasures

7 May 2014 - 150 years later, a Gold Rush ship yields treasures

0 Comment for "7 May 2014 - 150 years later, a Gold Rush ship yields treasures"

Popular Posts