Gold is commonly viewed as a safe haven investment and is often used as a hedge against currency issues or an equity downturn. The price of gold acts more as a currency than an commodity, as it usually moves more in correlation with fiat currencies than with other commodities.
Obama defeated Romney, winning both the popular vote and the electoral college, with 332 electoral votes to Romney's 206. He became the eleventh President and third Democrat to win a majority of the popular vote more than once.
Yes, a candidate could lose the popular vote and win the electoral college vote. This happened to George W. Bush in 2000, who lost the popular vote to Al Gore by .51% but won the electoral college 271 to 266.