Metals Funds Boosted by Bhutto Assassination

The markets were given a sad reminder this week, with the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, that we still live in a dangerous world.

Events like these tend to spark a flight toward investments viewed as as safe havens, such as gold and other precious metals.

When this second attempt on her life in just two months time proved successful, the hope for a return to democracy in Pakistan was dashed.

Bhutto's death showed the other potential candidates that it is not safe to campaign. If President Pervez Musharraf goes ahead with the planned Jan. 8 elections in the absence of viable opposition, the vote would be a sham. If he suspends the elections, that might mean a return to martial law. Either way, that nuclear-armed nation is not close to becoming a stable democracy. ...