Although the year is far from over, it’s been a rough period for gold enthusiasts. A sharp sell-off beginning in mid-April sent bullion prices down to $1,192 on June 28th. Since then Gold prices bounced back to $1,309 but the price remains down 22.72% for the year to date and 31% below the peak of $1,895 reached in early September 2011. For the 10-year period ending July 31, 2013, gold enthusiasts have a more positive story to tell: The annualized return for gold spot prices was 13.99%, compared to annualized total returns of 7.64% for the S&P 500 Index, 7.97% for the MSCI EAFE Index, 13.10% for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, and 2.47% for the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index.