The precious metals industry is dominated by consolidation. After major takeovers in 2018 and 2019 were the focus of attention, medium-sized companies are also to become increasingly active in the new year. This is the view of the "Global Industry Overview - Mining and Metals Key" report.

This is how the Croatian economist Vuk Vukovic sees it. Gold is a symbol that at the same time holds a message for voters. Many Eastern European leaders are currently concentrating on owning the precious metal.

Not only is gold seen as an economic necessity when economies and currencies collapse, but it can also be a life and death factor in war zones. It offers its owners economic freedom and choice.

A diver discovered the nugget by searching the riverbed for treasure with snorkel and tools. Already in May a 22-carat gold nugget was found in a river, broken into two parts and weighing a good 121 grams in total. Since there are many rivers in Scotland that have not yet been investigated, a new hobby seems to be developing here. In addition, films on Youtube report about these finds.

The USA has the most gold with 8,133.5 tons, followed by Germany with 3,366.5 tons. All numbers in the list are of course official numbers. Central banks are now hoarding a total of 34,500.85 tonnes of gold, 10.41 tonnes more than in the previous month.

Even if the railway stands for environmental friendliness more than trucks, airplanes or cars, stricter requirements could also threaten the railway sector. In Lower Saxony, the first hydrogen trains worldwide have been on the road since September and with success. Further hydrogen trains have already been ordered. The environmentally friendly trains operate with fuel cell hybrid technology.

The European Innovation Partnership for Intelligent Cities and Towns has published a White Paper on issues such as smart mobility and renewable energy. But the latest session of the Smart Cities World Congress in Barcelona also reveals that much more needs to be done if Europe is to meet its 2050 climate targets. There must be progress in thinking and acting at the international, national and local levels.

In the dense jungle of the Andes in Ecuador, the Aurania Resources team discovered the remains of a road that probably served to transport gold bars from two mining centers. Historical records show that this could be the road on which the gold was brought to the capital Quito. And here, Aurania Resources is working on its Lost Cities Cutucu project in search of gold and copper and is already receiving good drilling results.

The banks have to look where they're staying. Fees are rising. The latest example is the fee for withdrawing money from the bank. If this was once a free service, now 800 of 1,300 banks and savings banks in Germany charge fees if you get cash, according to a recent study. Some banks always and some only after closing time, like an overtime surcharge for the machines.

On the US stock exchange, a sensational bet was made on the price of gold: in a so-called block trade, gold options were bought for 1.75 million US dollars. They entitle the holder to purchase gold at a price of $4,000 per troy ounce until June 2021. So, someone is betting that the price of gold will roughly triple - a record bet.