‘Buy gold’ searches soar 500pc after Britain votes to leave EU, by Lauren Davidson.

The price of gold surged in the early hours of the morning as it became clearer that the British public had voted to leave the European Union.

The precious metal rallied as much as 8.1pc to nearly $1,360 an ounce, its highest since March 2014, after dipping as low as $1,255 an ounce after voting closed last night.

Google reported that the number of internet searches for the phrase “buy gold” spiked by 500pc as the results trickled through around 5am. Investors flocked to the safe haven asset during Asian trading while the pound plummeted to a 31-year low.