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In this illustration we look up a white ladder. As the ladder ascends, the shapes between its rungs form gold bullion bars.

Europe ladders up its gold reserves

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Gold as a financial asset

The European Central Bank (ECB) today holds 35% of its total reserves in gold — a steady climb from the 15% when the bank was initially founded in 1998. According to ECB data, gold was the second-most preferred form of national reserves after the US dollar, followed by the Japanese yen and the Chinese renminbi.