1.   The supply of SDRs to be made available would not be disturbed by the vagaries of industrial demand, Russian gold sales or speculation.

2.   Also, speculation that the recent spate of central bank gold sales will ebb in the coming year, could also help lift gold prices further.

3.   Analysts had said an agreement on an IMF gold sale may have helped keep the price down.

4.   Analysts said the Russian sale appeared to be a one-time event, though any large gold sale now erodes investor confidence.

5.   Announcements of further gold sales are now expected, mainly by European Union countries.

6.   Anticipating passage, Rubin said that once gold sales were agreed to, he would ask the U.S. Congress for a cash contribution, as well.

7.   Australia took the money from its gold sales and invested it in government bonds from the U.S. and other countries.

8.   Australia used proceeds from the gold sales to buy U.S., Japanese and German government bonds.

9.   Australian legislators entered the fray, too, inviting Macfarlane to appear next month before a Senate committee to explain the circumstances surrounding the gold sale.

10.   A coordinated and public gold sales policy by central banks could, in theory, stabilize gold prices.