And the annual average gain of 15.3 percent since its inception 11 years ago is 5.5 points better than the index.

The index, which dates to 1980, had never before recorded even a 10 percent annual gain.

The net annual gain to the government would be about $750 million by 2011.

Then as America's eating habits changed, the annual gains were more on the order of 4 to 6 percent.

Currently, he said, the annual net gain is about 160 members.

The increase exceeded the 5.5 percent rise in 1987 and marked the largest annual gain since 1984.

Some experts say a 4.5 percent annual gain should be projected for the next 10 years.

That's up 17 percent from the city's average annual gain of 20,874 during the 1990's.

At that point, it was on its way to a sixth consecutive annual gain, he said.

Gold had its third consecutive annual gain in 2003, the first such broad rally since the late 1980's.