That could explain why over the years, precious metals have been the subject of a lot of conspiracy theories like this one: "Someone out there (a bank, a foreign government, a cartel) is hoarding a huge amount of gold in order to create demand and drive up prices. When the price rises, that evil “someone” will sell off vast reserves of the precious metal and make astronomically high profits." It sounds kind of plausible, right? And its narrative is valid on some level.