The World Gold Council’s investment research programme provides investors around the world with key information about the dynamics of the gold market and about the investment properties of gold as an asset class.

We publish a wide range of research papers looking at gold's investment characteristics. Our research examines gold’s special characteristics as a store of value, inflation and currency hedge, and portfolio diversifier.

This website provides access to an extensive archive of these papers, in addition to regularly offering new material. When you download a report for the first time you may be asked to register. As part of our simple registration process you will be given the opportunity to subscribe, for free, to receive future research publications.

Research summaries

Research for investors - summary of publications

Regular reports

Thousands of investors subscribe to our free gold market analysis and insight.

Gold Demand Trends Current edition

Investment statistics commentary Q1 2012

Full Year 2011

Featured research

Below you’ll find a selection from our most frequently downloaded recent thematic research papers.

Gold as a strategic asset for European investors

Gold: Alternative investment, foundation asset

The impact of inflation and deflation on the case for gold

Gold: A commodity like no other

Gold: hedging against tail risk

India: heart of gold: revival

India: heart of gold: strategic outlook

The ten year bull market in perspective

The Importance Of Gold In Reserve Asset Management

An investor’s guide to the gold market (US edition)

An investor’s guide to the gold market (UK edition)

China Gold Report: Gold in the Year of the Tiger

Linking Global Money Supply to Gold and to Future Inflation

Gold as a Strategic Asset for UK Investors

Thematic research

The following papers are listed by theme, although some subjects are not mutually exclusive and some papers may cover a range of topics; therefore, several papers may be listed more than once.

Portfolio diversification
Exploring the importance of gold in portfolio diversification.

Gold and inflation
Exploring gold's inflation hedging properties.

Gold and the dollar
Exploring the relationship between gold and the US dollar.

Wealth preservation
Exploring gold's wealth preservation properties.

Country case studies
Exploring gold's demand and supply dynamics in a selection of key markets.

Gold and commodities
Exploring the commodities complex, and the characteristics of its components.

The gold market
Exploring various aspects of the market, broadly defined.

Central Banks
Exploring central bank reserve asset management.