The weird, wild story of humanity’s obsession with gold
by The Economist · Australian Financial ReviewThe Economist
May 19, 2026 – 5.00am
In the 1980s Lloyd Blankfein, the future boss of Goldman Sachs but then a rookie gold trader, bought a kilogram of the metal for himself. He describes this in Streetwise, his memoir, as less an investment than a conversation piece – albeit one that cost the equivalent of $US50,000 ($70,000) today. When he handed it around at dinner parties, he found it better at prompting awe than speech.
“People would become slightly mesmerised,” he writes. “No one ever wanted to let go of it.”
Loading...
The Economist
Save
Log in or Subscribe to save article
Share
Copy link
Copied
Copy link
Copied
Share via...
Gift this article
Subscribe to gift this article
Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.
Already a subscriber? Login
Introducing your Newsfeed
Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.
Read More
Latest In Arts & Culture
Fetching latest articles