Eric Sprott, whose Sprott Hedge Fund increased more than fivefold in nine years, said gold may rise to $1,500 an ounce this year and $2,000 within two years as the U.S. government takes measures to counter the credit crunch. “With quantitative easing and the financial problems we have, I suspect that the gold price goes up from here,” said Sprott. “If you tell me how much quantitative easing there is, I’ll tell you where the gold price will go, but I have no trouble imagining we get to $1,500 this year and to $2,000 in two years.” Sprott said in a Dec. 18 interview that the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index will collapse below its March lows as an expected rebound in economic growth fails to materialize.