Germany stores 1.2k tons of gold at the Fed—Trump fears are sparking repatriation demands

A safety deposit box key rests on a gold bar weighing 12.5 kilograms in the precious metals vault at Pro Aurum KG in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. Gold rose for a third day after the Federal Reserve indicated that its preparing to cut interest rates for the first time in a decade as the global economy slows. (Credit: Michaela Handrek-Rehle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ever since the end of the Second World War in 1945, a rehabilitated Germany has built close ties to the U.S. and committed to Western democratic values. The country has put its money—or rather, its gold—where its mouth is. 

That financial commitment to the U.S. is now being put to the test, as calls from within Germany grow louder to pull the country’s vast stock of gold reserves out of the Federal Reserve.