The moral of that story and the lessons that we can learn are simple – don’t believe the pronouncements of the powers that be in the London and US gold markets, especially during a crisis. In March 1968, during the last days of the London Gold Pool, as the central bank cartel ship began to sink, theystodd steadfast in denials that anything was amiss, brazenly saying that “the London Gold Pool reaffirm their determination to support the pool."

This time around, with their hollow claims about “healthy stocks of gold in London and New York”, and that the “LBMA has offered its support to CME Group”, the names may have changed but the denial strategy remains the same. It therefore seems that while history doesn’t repeat itself, it still often rhymes.