The elation of a lifetime investment turned to anguish overnight on New York's famed 47th Street. Just days after buying gold at its historic peak, small-time investors who had poured their savings into the precious metal were left reeling as prices took a sudden, brutal plunge. The panic in the city's Diamond District mirrored scenes across the globe, from Sydney to London, as the gold rush came to a screeching halt.
For weeks, the scenes in central Sydney have looked like something from a bygone era. Every morning before 9 a.m., a queue of hundreds of people snakes across Martin Place, all waiting for hours with a single purpose: to buy gold. The demand has been so relentless that the ABC Bullion store has had to extend its trading hours and hire five extra staff just to keep up.
