Gold prices have been sliding recently, partially reversing the gains made over the last year.

The big question for many investors is whether the move means that the bull run is over? This is not a trivial question. Gold suffered a two-decade bear market from 1980 through 2000 where prices sank from $850 a troy ounce to a low of less than $300. The decade before that, 1970 to 1980 saw tremendous gains, from a low of $35 up to the then all-time high of $850.