A depression can easily cause these items to plunge along with all other assets. The one asset least affected by economic performance, business solvency, government guarantees, or insurance is gold. The yellow metal depends on no institution or government for value. Gold exists outside the mainstream and depends on none of the same things that stocks, bonds and banks depend on. Gold means independence.
Gold allows the citizen to escape total reliance on the state-sponsored financial system.
It's a perfect asset for ultimate protection, no matter how dicey things get. Gold's value may be affected by the U.S.'s economic performance, but far less than other assets. In fact, if the mainstream financial system breaks down gold maes up because people turn to gold .in a crisis. Gold does best when everything else suffers. Most people have their assets within the Wall Street - Washington financial axis.