Gold rises on bank scare; holds near lifetime high

Gold, which is also a few dollars away from a lifetime high of around $1 264/oz struck in June, is on track for its tenth yearly gain -- its longest run of yearly increases in more than 40 years.

On Wednesday, Gold added $3,85 to $1 256,95 after rising as high as $1 259,80 on Tuesday, its strongest since June 28, with investors rattled by a Wall Street Journal report that said "stress tests" published more than a month ago underestimated some lenders' holdings of potentially risky government debt.