Word: pasts
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...past twelve months, they have soared like Superman...
...past year especially, investment in precious metals, gems and real estate has seemed almost too good to be true...
Gold's rise of over 60% during the past twelve months to $385 per oz. has been spectacular, but that goes for its gyrations too. Though investors by the thousands routinely speculate on possible price movements of the yellow metal by buying and selling so-called futures contracts on commodities markets, trading in the actual gold itself is much more limited, and a mere handful of big investors can and do bring about significant changes in price. In just four weeks, gold leaped from $330 per oz. to hit $447, only to lose half that impressive gain...
Other investment metals have been better buys in the past year. Platinum, at $5 10 per oz., has risen by almost 75% since last October. Silver, at $15.92 per oz., has nearly tripled, largely because investors have been buying it as a sort of poor man's bullion...
Precious stones are also being snatched up, though unwary investors can lose disastrously. In the past year, high-grade "investment diamonds" of one carat or more have risen 45% in value and now often sell for $31,000 per stone. But smaller and flawed gems, which are normally sold only for jewelry to hide the imperfections, may be poor buys; four quarter-carat, lesser-quality stones are usually worth much less than a single good-quality, one-carat stone...