The Federal U.S. Gold Stock

Today, gold transactions and other uses are almost entirely a private market function. However, historically, gold was bought and sold by the U.S. government (and many other governments) for a variety of purposes. While largely unused, the federal government still owns gold, known as the gold stock. The existence of the gold stock and its historical uses have inspired many policy proposals about potential uses today. This In Focus details the history of the gold stock and its uses, and highlights some common policy proposals. A Brief History of the Gold Stock The U.S. government has held gold for most…