21.   Investors often buy gold when inflation accelerates because rising prices erode the value of fixed-income assets such as bonds.

22.   Investors often buy gold when inflation threatens the value of other assets, such as government bonds.

23.   Investors buy gold to guard against inflation, which erodes the value of bonds.

24.   Investors traditionally buy gold as a hedge against accelerating inflation, which erodes the value of returns on competing assets such as bonds.

25.   Investors traditionally buy gold as a shield against rising prices, which erodes the value of fixed-income assets such as bonds.

26.   Investors often buy gold to guard against inflation, which erodes the value of assets such as government bonds.

27.   Investors often buy gold when inflation threatens to erode the value of fixed-income assets such as government bonds.

28.   Last month, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said in the U.S. that Japanese investors would sell Treasuries and buy gold if the dollar-yen exchange rate remained volatile.

29.   No sign of inflation is on the horizon, removing one of the incentives for investors to buy gold.

30.   Otherwise, Hashimoto said, Japan might sell U.S. Treasury bonds and buy gold.