{
  "id": "RS21204",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "RS",
  "number": "RS21204",
  "active": false,
  "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov",
      "title": "Gold: Uses of U.S. Official Holdings",
      "retrieved": "2020-09-05T09:24:08.181585",
      "id": "RS21204_3_2012-04-22",
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          "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/RS21204/3",
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      "date": "2012-04-22",
      "summary": null,
      "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov",
      "typeId": "RS",
      "active": false,
      "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=RS21204",
      "type": "CRS Report"
    },
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 103049,
      "date": "2002-04-22",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:11:40.243941",
      "title": "Gold: Uses of U.S. Official Holdings",
      "summary": "For centuries nations have accumulated gold as a symbol of wealth and power. Gold was once\nalso\nof practical value as a medium of exchange and until recent times provided a commodity backing to\nmost paper currency. Recent decades have seen a steady erosion of gold's economic significance. \nNevertheless, the U.S. government continues to hold a sizable stock of gold. What is this stock used\nfor? Although there continues to be some confusion about the role of government agencies and other\ninstitutions with relation to the gold stock, gold is little used. The U.S. Mint, the principal custodian\nof the government's gold holdings, engages in minor gold transactions associated with producing\nand selling commemorative coins. The Federal Reserve Bank does not own or have market\ntransactions in gold, but it does facilitate the \"monetization\" of U.S. gold holdings, through its gold\ncertificate account. The Exchange Stabilization Fund, an agency of the Treasury Department, no\nlonger undertakes actions that use gold, and gold is not used as the basis of the Treasury's Special\nDrawing Rights. The \"gold standard\" that established a gold backing for the dollar ceased for\ndomestic purposes in the 1930s and for international purposes in the 1970s. The continued willingness\nof the U.S. government to hold a large underutilized stock of gold is, perhaps, best understood as a \nhedge against times of severe economic crisis when paper assets could be useless. This report will not\nbe updated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RS21204",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economic Policy"
  ]
}