Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Gold Price Monitor -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: russwinter who wrote (66149)	3/19/2001 10:49:12 AM
From: long-gone	Respond to of 116756

This morning I was wondering about the spread between spot & paid for bullion coins by the customer to a coin shop & little spread paid by the coin shop & thought Walmart should be doing the buying / Selling of American Eagles & Maple Leaves(both silver & gold): Monday March 19 9:45 AM ET Gold Needs to Harness Potential of Web -Industry By Sara Marani ROME (Reuters) - Gold faces tough challenges in the age of dot.coms, needing to find a new image and markets with the help of the Internet in order to increase sales, gold experts said on Monday. Speaking at the annual Financial Times gold conference, key players in the gold market and the Internet said for the metal to have a successful Web life it would need to market itself better and improve its now somewhat tarnished image. ``The most important thing about gold is its image -- intellectual capital is the real source of knowledge and power,'' said Ian Lynch, principal consultant at analysts Butler Group (www.butlergroup.com). ``Marketing is all-important and the gold market could do more to promote itself and push itself forward,'' agreed Ross Norman of thebulliondesk.com. Innovation in the use of gold and the appreciation of its possibilities mean the market has to ``think about the meaning of gold rather than the metal itself,'' according to Lynch. Drawing parallels with the platinum market, which has seen very successful marketing campaigns raise the metal's image in recent years, James Courage, chief executive of Platinum Guild International, said the key was to find Internet success through jewelry. ``We ought all to be working together to promote our jewelry,'' he told delegates at the two-day conference. While just 95 tons of platinum go into jewelry each year, for gold the figure is closer to 2,900 tons. ``Not many people will actually buy jewelry on the Internet -- some will, but most want to see, try, feel it -- so you need reliable links with retailers. It's all about giving the consumer a wider choice,'' Courage said. Last year's predictions for jewelry online sales fluctuated from $925 million by 2003 according to Forrester Research to over $1 billion in 2004 from $77 million in 1999, according to IDC, a leading provider of technology intelligence. ``Several factors have contributed to the growth of the online jewelry market, namely an increasing number of e-tailers, lower prices for online goods, technology improvements which enhance online viewing and the no-pressure atmosphere of online buying,'' said Ron Mondillo, marketing and general business consultant at online site GoldAvenue (www.goldavenue.com). ``Rumors that e-commerce is dead have been greatly exaggerated...it has risen and fallen but is never going to fade away. Companies need to be in a position to take advantage of the Internet as the medium settles into the background, becoming an integral part of the daily lives of billions of people around the globe.'' dailynews.yahoo.com