Exter's Pyramid
It was created for:
- visualizing the organization of asset classes in terms of risk and size
- gold forms the small base of most reliable value
- asset classes on progressively higher levels are more risky
- the larger size of asset classes at higher levels is representative of the higher total worldwide notional value of those assets
- Exter's original pyramid placed 3-rd World debt at the top
- today derivatives hold this dubious honor
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Exter#Exter.27s_Pyramid