For centuries, gold has been looked as a commodity and a currency. When considering purchasing gold, it is important to make certain that you know what kind of purchase and investment you are making. Gold just like any commodity is subject to daily price fluctuations. One of the first questions asked when considering purchasing gold is who controls the price? This question is often asked because gold is presented as being a stable and sound investment in a turbulent economic downturn. Despite its appeal, gold still operates on a market scale and abides by the supply and demand of the companies and organizations that produce it. Gold is produced in immense quantities, normally. Investors and economists use an analysis format to calculate the value of gold in order to determine the gold market price. Gold is measured typically by the ounce and will vary depending upon multiple economic factors such as GDP rates. Since 1919, the most well- known way of pricing gold has been to use London gold fixing. London gold fixing is done via a telephone meeting between many different representatives from gold trading firms that are involved in the London gold and silver bullion market. The gold fix is always assigned in United States dollars, Euros or British pound starlings. The current firms that make the decisions on gold market pricing include Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Société Générale Scotia-Mocatta and Barclays.