If you imagine a 'simple' economy, the way to store your wealth is to buy gold and stick it in a safe. In a 'simple' economy, gold is the least risky commodity

If you imagine a 'simple' economy, the way to store your wealth is to buy gold and stick it in a safe. In a 'simple' economy, gold is the least risky commodity of exchange. Now consider that US treasuries are arguably less risky than gold, and are easier to exchange. The FDIC only insures deposits of cash up to 250k, so US debt is basically like "big-boy cash".