GOLD . . . Relic or Real Money?

What is it about gold?

In the past 10 years, the price of one ounce of pure gold has risen from less than $300 to $1,500, far outpacing the return on stocks and bonds. And yet, to paraphrase the comedian Rodney Dangerfield, “It don’t get no respect” in most gatherings of professional investors. Why is that? Why is the yellow metal treasured in some quarters and disdained in others?