REGISTRATION NO.  33-33012


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                               -------------------

                         Post-Effective Amendment No. 2

                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      Under
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                              --------------------

                           U.S. GLOBAL INVESTORS, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         Texas                                                    74-6370582
(State or other jurisdiction                                  (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation or organization)                            Identification No.)
                              --------------------

                   7900 Callaghan Road, San Antonio, TX 78229
                           Telephone No. (210)308-1234

               (Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
                 including area code, of registrant's principal
                               executive offices)
                              --------------------

                           U.S. GLOBAL INVESTORS, INC.

                               1989 NON-QUALIFIED
                                STOCK OPTION PLAN

                                       AND

                        1985 INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION PLAN

                            (Full Title of the Plan)
                              --------------------

                                 Susan B. McGee
                     Vice President and Corporate Secretary
                         United Services Advisors, Inc.
                               7900 Callaghan Road
                            San Antonio, Texas 78229
                                  (210)308-1234

            (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
                   including area code, of agent for service)
                              --------------------


                                        1



                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


                                            Proposed     Proposed
                                            maximum      maximum
                              Amount        offering     aggregate   Amount of
  Title of securities          to be        price per    offering    registra-
     to registered           registered     share(1)     price(1)    tion fee(2)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock,     1,000,000 shares   $2.00      $2,000,000     $400.00
par value $.05 per 
share (formerly called
Preferred Stock)

- -----------------------
(1)   Estimated  solely for the  purpose of  calculating  the  registration  fee
      (based  on the  average  of the high and low  prices of the Class A Common
      Stock as reported in the NASDAQ System at time of original filing).
(2)   Fee paid at time of original filing.
                              --------------------

                        (Exhibit Table on Page 6 of ___)



                                        2





                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

Pursuant  to the  Note to Part I of  Form  S-8,  the  documents  containing  the
information  specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be distributed as specified by
Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933.



                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         The U.S. Global Investors,  Inc.'s ("U.S.  Global's" or "Registrant's")
Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the year  ended  June 30,  1996,  the  Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended  September 30, 1996, and December 31,
1996,  the July 10, 1996, and March 10, 1997,  Current  Reports on Form 8-K, the
October 25, 1985, Form 8-A filed with the Securities and Exchange  Commission by
U.S.  Global  (Commission  File  Number  0-13928)  pursuant to Section 13 of the
Securities  Exchange Act of 1934  ("Exchange  Act") and the  September 24, 1996,
Report by Issuer of Securities Quoted on the NASDAQ Interdealer Quotation System
on Form 10-C are incorporated herein by reference.

         Each document filed by U.S. Global pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14
or  15(d)  of the  Exchange  Act  subsequent  to the  date of this  Registration
Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective  amendment which indicates
that all shares offered hereunder have been sold or which deregisters all shares
remaining  unsold  hereunder  shall  be  deemed  to be  incorporated  herein  by
reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such document.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

         Not Required--class registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

         Not Required--no  named expert nor counsel has an interest  required to
be disclosed under this item and none are employees of U.S. Global.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS.

         Article  2.02(16) of the Texas  Business  Corporation  Act (the "TBCA")
empowers U.S. Global to indemnify directors,  officers,  employees and agents of
U.S. Global and to purchase liability  insurance for those persons to the extent
permitted by Article 2.02-1 of the TBCA.

         Article  2.02-1 of the TBCA in part  provides  that a  corporation  may
indemnify its officers and directors for any liability if it is determined  that
such officer or director (i) conducted  himself in good faith,  (ii)  reasonably
believes,  in the case of  conduct  in his  official  capacity  as an officer or
director,  that his conduct was in the corporation's  best interest,  and in all
other cases, that his conduct was at least not opposed to the corporation's best
interest,  and (iii) in the case of any criminal  proceeding,  had no reasonable
cause to believe that his conduct was  unlawful.  These  determinations  must be
made (i) by a majority  vote of a quorum  consisting of the directors who at the
time of the vote are not named defendants or respondents in the proceeding, (ii)
if such a quorum  cannot be obtained,  by a majority  vote of a committee of the
Board of  Directors,  designated  to act in the matter by a majority vote of all
directors,  consisting  solely of two or more  directors who, at the time of the
vote,  are not named  defendants  or  respondents  in the  proceeding,  (iii) by
special legal  counsel  selected by the Board of Directors or a committee of the
Board by a vote as set forth in (i) or (ii) above,  or, if such a quorum  cannot
be obtained and such a committee vote cannot be established,  by a majority vote
of all directors, or (iv) by the shareholders in a vote that excludes the shares
that are held by directors and officers who are named  defendants or respondents
in the proceeding.


                                        1





         Under  Article  2.02-1 of the TBCA,  an officer  or a  director  may be
indemnified against judgments,  penalties  (including excise and similar taxes),
fines, settlements,  and reasonable expenses actually incurred by the officer or
director in connection  with the  proceeding,  but if the officer or director is
found liable to the  corporation  or is found liable on the basis that  personal
benefit was improperly received by the officer or director,  the indemnification
(i) is  limited to  reasonable  expenses  actually  incurred  by the  officer or
director  in  connection  with the  proceeding,  and (ii)  shall  not be made in
respect of any proceeding in which the officer or director shall have been found
liable for willful or intentional  misconduct in the  performance of his duty to
the corporation. The termination of a proceeding by judgment, order, settlement,
or conviction, or upon a plea nolo contendere or its equivalent is not of itself
determinative  that the officer or director  did not meet the  requirements  set
forth above. An officer or director shall be deemed to have been found liable in
respect of any claim,  issue or matter only after the officer or director  shall
have been so adjudicated by a court of competent  jurisdiction  after exhaustion
of all appeals therefrom.

         Article 2.02-1 of the TBCA further  authorizes a corporation to pay the
reasonable  expenses  incurred by an officer or director in advance of the final
disposition of such proceeding if the corporation receives a written affirmation
by the officer or director of his good faith belief that he has met the standard
of conduct  necessary for  indemnification  as well as a written  undertaking to
repay the amount paid by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the
officer  or  director  has not  met the  requirements  for  indemnification.  In
addition,  Article  2.02-1 of the TBCA empowers a  corporation  to indemnify and
advance reasonable  expenses to an employee,  agent and certain other persons to
the same extent it may indemnify in advance  expenses to officers and directors.
Finally,  Article  2.02-1 of the TBCA  empowers a  corporation  to purchase  and
maintain  insurance  on behalf of  directors,  officers,  employees,  agents and
certain  other  persons  against any  liability  asserted  against such persons,
whether or not the  corporation  would have the power to indemnify  such persons
against that liability under Article 2.02-1 of the TBCA.

         Under U.S. Global's Bylaws, U.S. Global shall, to the fullest extent to
which it is empowered to do so by the TBCA or any other  applicable  laws as may
from  time to  time  be in  effect,  indemnify  any  person  who  was,  is or is
threatened to be made a party to any  threatened,  pending or completed  action,
suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by
reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of U.S.  Global or is
or was serving at the request of U.S. Global as a director, officer, proprietor,
trustee,  employee,  agent or similar functionary of another foreign or domestic
corporation,  partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against all
expenses  (including  attorneys'  fees),  judgments,  fines and amounts  paid in
settlement  actually  and  reasonably  incurred by him in  connection  with such
action, suit or proceeding.  U.S. Global's obligations under its Bylaws include,
but are not limited to, the convening of a meeting and the  consideration of any
matter thereby,  required by statute in order to determine the eligibility of an
officer or director for  indemnification.  U.S. Global's obligation to indemnify
and prepay  expenses  under its Bylaws  shall arise,  and all rights  granted to
directors,  officers,  employees or agents thereunder shall vest, at the time of
the  occurrence  of the  transaction  or  event to which  such  action,  suit or
proceeding  relates,  or at the time that the  action or  contact  to which such
action,  suit or proceeding relates was first taken or engaged in (or omitted to
be taken or engaged in),  regardless of when such action,  suit or proceeding is
first threatened, commenced or completed.

         Accordingly,  under  U.S.  Global's  Bylaws,  no  action  taken by U.S.
Global,  either by amendment of its Bylaws or its Articles of  Incorporation  or
otherwise,  shall diminish or adversely affect any rights to  indemnification or
prepayment  of expenses  granted  under U.S.  Global's  Bylaws which have become
vested  prior to the date that such  amendment or  corporation  action is taken.
Further,  under U.S.  Global's  Bylaws the Board of  Directors  has the power to
purchase  and  maintain  insurance  on  behalf  of  any  person  who is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at
the  request of the  corporation  as a director,  officer,  employee or agent of
another  corporation,  partnership,  joint venture,  trust or other  enterprise,
against  any  liability  asserted  against  him and  incurred by him in any such
capacity or arising out of his status as such,  whether or not U.S. Global would
have the power to indemnify him against such  liability  under the provisions of
the TBCA, U.S. Global's Article of Incorporation or U.S. Global's Bylaws.

         U.S. Global has purchased  liability  insurance  policies  covering its
directors and officers to provide  protection  where U.S.  Global cannot legally
indemnify  a director  or officer and where a claim  arises  under the  Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 against a director or officer based on an
alleged breach of fiduciary duty or other wrongful act.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

         No exemption has been relied upon.


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ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

(4)(a)   U.S. Global Investors,  Inc. 1989  Non-Qualified  Stock Option Plan (as
         amended December 9, 1991) -- filed herewith.

(4)(b)   U.S.  Global  Investors,  Inc.  1985  Incentive  Stock  Option Plan (as
         amended November 7, 1989 and December 9, 1991) -- filed herewith.

(5)      Opinion regarding legality -- filed herewith.

(23)(a)  Consent of  Independent  Accountants  -- Price  Waterhouse LLP -- filed
         herewith.

(23)(b)  Consent of Counsel -- filed herewith as part of Exhibit 5 above.

(24)     Powers of Attorney -- filed herewith as part of the signature page.

ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

         (a)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

              (1)    To file,  during  any  period in which  offers or sales are
                     being  made  of  the  securities   registered   hereby,   a
                     post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                      (i)  To include any  prospectus  required by Section 10(a)
                           (3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

                     (ii)  To  reflect  in the  prospectus  any  facts or events
                           arising after the effective date of the  Registration
                           Statement   (or  the   most   recent   post-effective
                           amendment  thereof),  which,  individually  or in the
                           aggregate,  represent  a  fundamental  change  in the
                           information set forth in this Registration Statement,

                     (iii) To include any material  information  with respect to
                           the plan of distribution not previously  disclosed in
                           the Registration  Statement or any material change to
                           such information in the Registration Statement;

                     provided,  however,  that  the  undertakings  set  forth in
                     paragraphs   (i)  and  (ii)  above  do  not  apply  if  the
                     information  required to be  included  in a  post-effective
                     amendment  by those  paragraphs  is  contained  in periodic
                     reports filed by the  registrant  pursuant to Section 13 or
                     Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are  incorporated by
                     reference in this Registration Statement.

              (2)    That,  for the purpose of determining  any liability  under
                     the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  each  such  post-effective
                     amendment  shall  be  deemed  to  be  a  new   Registration
                     Statement relating to the securities  offered therein,  and
                     the  offering  of such  securities  at that  time  shall be
                     deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

              (3)    To remove from  registration  by means of a  post-effective
                     amendment  any of the  securities  being  registered  which
                     remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

         (b)  That,  for the purposes of  determining  any  liability  under the
              Securities  Act of 1933,  each filing of the  Registrant's  annual
              report  pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange
              Act  that  is  incorporated  by  reference  in  the   Registration
              Statement  shall  be  deemed  to be a new  Registration  Statement
              relating to the securities  offered  therein,  and the offering of
              such  securities  at that time  shall be deemed to be the  initial
              bona fide offering thereof.

         (c)  Insofar  as  indemnification  for  liabilities  arising  under the
              Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and
              controlling  persons of the  Registrant  pursuant to the foregoing
              provisions,  or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in
              the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission

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              such  indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
              Act and is,  therefore,  unenforceable.  In the event that a claim
              for  indemnification  against  such  liabilities  (other  than the
              payment  by the  registrant  of  expenses  incurred  or  paid by a
              director,  officer or controlling  person of the registrant in the
              successful defense of any action,  suit or proceeding) is asserted
              by such director, officer of controlling person in connection with
              the securities being  registered,  the registrant will,  unless in
              the  opinion  of its  counsel  the  matter  has  been  settled  by
              controlling   precedent,   submit   to  a  court  of   appropriate
              jurisdiction  the question whether such  indemnification  by it is
              against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed
              by the final adjudication of such issue.



                                        4





                               POWERS OF ATTORNEY

         KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE  PRESENTS that each  individual  whose  signature
appears below constitutes and appoints Frank E. Holmes,  Bobby D. Duncan,  Susan
B. McGee,  Thomas D. Tays,  and Charles W.  Lutter,  Jr. and each of them acting
singularly, as our true and lawful  attorneys-in-fact,  with full powers to them
and each of them to sign for us, in our names in the capacities indicated below,
the Registration  Statement on Form S-8 of U.S. Global  Investors,  Inc. and any
and all amendments thereto or any related document required therewith,  with the
Securities and Exchange  Commission,  granting upon said  attorneys-in-fact  and
agents,  and each of them full power and  authority  to do and perform  each and
every act and  thing  requisite  and  necessary  to be done to  comply  with the
provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  and all  requirements  of
the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that
said  attorneys-in-fact  and agents or any of them, or their or his substitutes,
may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, U.S. Global
Investors,  Inc.  certifies  that it has  reasonable  grounds to believe that it
meets all of the  requirements  for filing on Form S-8 and has duly  caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,  thereunto
duly authorized in the City of San Antonio,  State of Texas, on the 18th, day of
April, 1997.


                                       U.S. GLOBAL INVESTORS, INC.
                                       (Registrant)

                                       By: /S/ FRANK E. HOLMES
                                          -----------------------------------
                                          Frank E. Holmes, President

         Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act of  1933,  this
Registration  Statement or amendment has been signed by the following persons in
the capacities and on the dates indicated.

    SIGNATURE              CAPACITY IN WHICH SIGNED                DATE


/S/ FRANK E. HOLMES        Chairman of the Board, Chief       April 18, 1997
- -----------------------    Executive Officer, President,
FRANK E.  HOLMES           Chief Operating Officer
                           Chief Financial Officer                    
                           


/S/ FICTOR FLORES          Executive Vice President,          April 18, 1997
- ------------------------   Chief Investment Officer 
VICTOR FLORES              and Director            
                           

/S/ KEVIN C. WHITE         Chief Accounting Officer           April 18, 1997
- ------------------------
KEVIN C.  WHITE

/S/ BOBBY D. DUNCAN        Executive Vice President,          April 18, 1997
- ------------------------   Strategic Development and 
BOBBY D.  DUNCAN           Special Projects, Director

/S/ JEROLD H. RUBINSTEIN   Director                           April 18, 1997
- ------------------------             
JEROLD H. RUBINSTEIN


/S/ ROY D. TERRACINA       Director                           April 18, 1997
- ------------------------
ROY  D. TERRACINA



                                        5





                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS



EXHIBIT NO.    DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT

(4)(a)         U.S. Global Investors,  Inc. 1989 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan
               (as amended December 9, 1991).

(4)(b)         U.S. Global Investors,  Inc. 1985 Incentive Stock Option Plan (as
               amended November 7, 1989 and December 9, 1991).

(5)            Opinion Regarding Legality.

(23)(a)        Consent of Independent Accountants -- Price Waterhouse LLP.

(23)(b)        Consent of Counsel -- filed herewith as part of Exhibit 5.

(24)           Powers of Attorney -- filed herewith on signature page.

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