"Borrowers will default. Markets will collapse. Gold will skyrocket." - Michael Belkin

Michael Belkin did see it coming; Gold has been in the limelight ever since 2008 when the meltdown made many investors poorer. Gold has always been the safe haven during apocalyptic times. In recent times, it has had brief bouts of correction on the backdrop of the strengthening of the USD, but this is only likely to be a temporary phenomenon. With the global scenario looking bleak it wouldn't be long before things start looking bright for the yellow metal again.

Interestingly, investments into gold have gone up only after gold itself has seen a sharp spike! Here are a few pointers to help you invest in gold in a better manner.

Gold —The Preserver
Gold is a preserver of value and hence is a good hedge during 'Inflation'. The recent turmoil in the economy saw Gold hitting significant highs. 'Gold' is a unique commodity, given that it is negatively / non-correlated with some of the factors that affect 

"I have a credit score of 785 but I am still having difficulty in getting a home loan, " expressed a concerned participant on one of my television shows.

On further questioning, he informed, "The lenders tell me that it's due to an issue with one of my credit cards in 2008 which I paid up fully in the last quarter of 2009 though the payment was admittedly late by around 14 months. I have several other loan accounts which have always been and continue to be up to date and my credit score is good (785 out of a possible maximum of 900). I have sufficient income and there are no other issues in getting the home loan. Can you tell me what I can possibly do to solve the problem?"

The answer unfortunately is that the participant will probably have to move to second rung lenders who may charge a little higher interest rate. To understand this answer let's do a quick recap on what is a credit score and how is it used by lenders. Now most readers are aware that Credit Information Company of

Tata Motors has increased prices of its passenger vehicles by up to Rs 12,000 to counter the impact of high input costs.

The hike has not affected the prices of its low-priced Nano and luxury crossover Aria models, the automaker told Press Trust of India (PTI) on Friday.

"The high input costs have been impacting us for quite some time. We have decided to pass on some burden to our customers. The quantum of the hike will vary between Rs 7,000 and Rs 12,000 depending on the model," a company spokesperson told the news agency.

The company said the price hike has been effective from Thursday across the country.

Tata Motors reported a 16 percent rise in January sales, the company said last week.

The company sold  87,465 vehicles in January 2012, versus 75,423 cars in the year-earlier period. These figures, however, do not include the luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands.