Famously derided as a “barbarous relic” by none less than John Maynard Keynes, and nothing more than a shiny “pet rock” to its many detractors, the allure of gold can be hard to fathom, particularly for those who pride themselves on their rational outlook. After all, gold has limited industrial or commercial utility outside of jewelry – with just 6% of production going to industrial use – and yields no income to investors.