Uranium (play /j?'re?ni?m/ yew-RAY-nee-?m) is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. The uranium nucleus binds between 141 and 146 neutrons, establishing six isotopes, the most common of which are U-238 (146 neutrons) and U-235 (143 neutrons). All isotopes are unstable and uranium is weakly radioactive. Uranium has the second highest atomic weight of the naturally occurring elements, lighter only than plutonium-244.[3] Its density is about 70% higher than that of lead, but not as dense as gold or tungsten. It occurs naturally in low concentrations of a few parts per million in soil, rock and water, and is commercially extracted from uranium-bearing minerals such as uraninite.

In nature, uranium is found as uranium-238 (99.2742%), uranium-235 (0.7204%), and a very small amount of uranium-234 (0.0054%). Uranium decays slowly by emitting an alpha particle. The half-life of uranium-238 is about 4.47 billion years and that of uranium-235 is 704 million years,[4] making them useful in dating the age of the Earth.

Many contemporary uses of uranium exploit its unique nuclear properties. Uranium-235 has the distinction of being the only naturally occurring fissile isotope. Uranium-238 is fissionable by fast neutrons, and is fertile, meaning it can be transmuted to fissile plutonium-239 in a nuclear reactor. Another fissile isotope, uranium-233, can be produced from natural thorium and is also important in nuclear technology. While uranium-238 has a small probability for spontaneous fission or even induced fission with fast neutrons, uranium-235 and to a lesser degree uranium-233 have a much higher fission cross-section for slow neutrons. In sufficient concentration, these isotopes maintain a sustained nuclear chain reaction. This generates the heat in nuclear power reactors, and produces the fissile material for nuclear weapons. Depleted uranium (U-238) is used in kinetic energy penetrators and armor plating.[5The price of Uranium is climbing. Although the U.S. is the largest generator of nuclear power, at approximately 30% of worldwide nuclear generation, a reactor hasn’t been built in decades. Why is uranium on the move, now at a spot price of around $73? The answer is in the developing countries, particularly China and India.

China is pursuing uranium more aggressively than ever. A typical 1000 megawatt nuclear reactor provides enough electricity to power a modern city of up to one million people, making it an attractive option for a country with a population of over 1.3 billion people. In the last year alone they have more than tripled their uranium imports, put two reactors online, and are not stopping there as Beijing has plans to build many more.

India is the other major player in the uranium market as Asia’s third largest energy consumer. It is estimated that their need for uranium will increase 10 fold by 2020, with a consumption of about 8,000 tonnes annually. They are opening domestic numerous uranium mines this year, and have signed civil nuclear agreements in six countries.

With these predicted astronomical numbers for China and India, speculation is driving the market. The price spike in 2007 was similar in that it was driven by sentiment, but very different because only a small amount of uranium actually changed hands.

When speculators see China’s commitment to invest $511 billion in nuclear energy combined with India’s long-term demand, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them running back to uranium this year.

As a general complex basis, here’s what the common individual ought to know in regard to gold - the element: gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (which comes from the Latin: aurum "gold"). Experts agree it is an incredibly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts ever since the beginning of recorded history. As a native metal it occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins or vein structures and in alluvial deposits. Much less frequently, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, in most cases with tellurium. As metals go, gold is really dense, soft, shiny and the most flexible and ductile true metal known to man. Genuine gold carries a vivid yellow color and shine customarily viewed as attractive, which it retains without oxidizing in air or water.

Most obvious to the majority of people, gold is definitely one of the metals that has functioned as an expression of prosperity and a store of worth throughout history. Additionally, it has been linked to various symbolisms and ideologies.

The calendar year 2008 was an easy year to consider, because it designated a big economic change around the world. In September of that year the global markets were on a path to what several experts believed to be the brink of a meltdown. Not so coincidentally, prior to the September crash, the price of gold was on the rise having a nominal high of US$1,004.38.

Gold has always been an important commodity. It's been used throughout history as money by the Europeans in the later part of the nineteenth century, and also by the United States until 1971. As the U.S. system has now transitioned from being backed by gold to a fiat currency (money which has worth only on account of government regulation or law), gold has assumed the role of the protector. Any time money is printed when in economic uncertainty, the general value of cash is devalued as it floods the system. The reason gold is so valuable in these days is that is signifies tangible asset, thus making it a hedge against inflation, deflation, or currency devaluation.

What makes gold incomparable to other commodities often is the role that speculation plays in its market price. Unlike other commodities, the annual production is rather low when compared to the available quantity that is stored above ground. According to the World Gold Council, of the 2,500 tons of gold mined during the last few years, about 2,000 tons goes into jewelry / dental production, and the rest goes to retail investor and exchange traded gold funds. Even with this reduced production, the cost of gold rose 30 percent just over 2010, a strong example of how adjustments in public sentiment affect the price much more than annual production.

For those of us who aren’t seasoned economists and market analysts, you can easily consider the trend of gold within the market to gain an overall perspective about how individuals are feeling regarding the future in economic terms. Generally, we have seen that when gold rises in value, generally there is a feeling of unease. Conversely, as gold trends downward, many times, it correlates with a perceived return to stableness in the market.