In this lesson, you’ll hear words related to gold, and gold reserves. And, at the end of the podcast, I’ll share the correct pronunciation of some keywords in English. There will also be a chance for you to win a free English course, so stay tuned to hear this week’s episode of English for Economists.

Hello, friends from all over the world. This is podcast number 59. I am glad you could join me.

Listen to this headline that was published on December 1st, 2022 in the Economist magazine.

Why central banks are stockpiling gold.

Well, to ‘stockpile’ something means to accumulate a stock of that item. Possibly to hold as a reserve. To stockpile, in this case, gold.

So some central banks have begun to accumulate gold. To stockpile gold.

Why you might ask?

Well,  according to the article, there are two reasons that explain this new behavior.

The subheading of the title reads “The metal offers a hedge against inflation”. Well, that is one reason.  Some central banks are moving out of treasury bills and into gold because the rise in the FED’s reference rate has pushed bond yields up, making them less attractive as a holding.  Gold becomes a “hedge” against this risk. A kind of protection against this risk. In this case, it also becomes something of a replacement.

Now listen to the complete subheading:

The metal offers a hedge against inflation –– and a way to circumvent sanctions.

Circumvent sanctions? Well, ‘circumvent’ is to get around sanctions. To avoid the sanctions. To circumvent.

The metal offers a hedge against inflation –– and a way to circumvent sanctions.

The article suggests that gold isn’t as easily tracked as other alternatives,  and gold offers buyers and sellers more in the way of anonymity, which makes it easier to avoid – to circumvent — any imposed restriction.

Listen to the headline and subheading one last time.

Why central banks are stockpiling gold

The metal offers a hedge against inflation—and a way to circumvent sanctions

Okay, I wanted to try something new on today’s podcast and offer you a little more than just new vocabulary taken from headlines.  As an English teacher, I find that students often mispronounce the same keywords. That word is just trickier to say than others. Sometimes, these words can be crucial to the meaning of your sentence, so being clear and understandable is key.

For the next few podcasts, I’ll cover five of these words so you can make sure you are pronouncing them correctly.

Listen closely.

• Financial
• Variable
• Structural
• Barrier
• Cement

Conclusion

That’s all for now. It’s been fun. If today’s lesson interested you, you might want to check out our lessons on Central Banks Raising Policy Rates and Economic Sanctions and Their Effect on Currencies for more banking vocabulary. Subscribe to this podcast if you haven’t done so already. I’ll be back soon with another lesson. Take care.

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Image credit: CC license: Stevebidmead