Hong Kongers rush to sell gold as prices hit record $4,000 level

HONG KONG: Long queues snaked outside Hong Kong's gold shops this week as residents rushed to cash in on a historic price surge that sent gold soaring above US$4,000 an ounce for the first time. From family heirlooms to bullion bars, people brought in whatever they had, their "rainy-day" treasure, to turn it into cash.

At the Chong Kee Gold Shop, near the city's central business district, about 50 people lined u