With the economy in a slump all over the world it is a great time to buy gold. In history, gold, is the one material where the cost has not dropped. If you had bought one ounce of gold 40 years ago it would have went up in value by 5 times it's original price.
A lagging economy creates opportunity for investors in most any commodity. Gold is a good investment, depending on your investment goals, as it is not as volatile as the stock markets and tends to be more stable than most commodities.