Featured Report
Gold Market Primer: Market size and structure
Gold is an attractive means of helping investors diversify their portfolios. Its relative scarcity supports its long-term investment appeal. But its market size is large enough to make it relevant for a wide variety of investors, from individuals to institutions and central banks.
The banking crisis fuelled gold ETF inflows in March
Global physically backed gold ETFs saw net inflows of US$1.9bn in March - the first inflows for ten months - as the banking crisis fuelled demand. But the recent inflows were not enough to prevent a net quarterly outflow of US$1.5bn. Regionally, European funds accounted for the bulk of the global outflows in Q1.
Gold ETF outflows continued in February amid weak gold prices
Global physical gold ETFs saw another outflow of US$1.7bn (-34t, 1.0%), their tenth consecutive monthly loss. Outflows were widespread, with the exception of funds in the Other region.
Gold ETF outflows in Europe and Asia outweighed North American inflows in January
Global physically backed gold ETFs kicked off 2023 with net outflows of US$1.6bn in January and a 26t (-0.8%) decline in total holdings to 3,446t. While the gold price witnessed its strongest January in a decade, registering a gain of 6.1%, gold ETF outflows in Europe and Asia dwarfed positive demand in North America and the Other region.
Gold Demand Trends Full Year 2022
Colossal central bank purchases, aided by vigorous retail investor buying and slower ETF outflows, lifted annual demand to an 11-year high. Annual gold demand (excluding OTC) jumped 18% to 4,741t, almost on a par with 2011 – a time of exceptional investment demand. The strong full-year total was aided by record Q4 demand of 1,337t.
Gold ETFs saw outflows of US$3bn in 2022
Physically-backed gold ETFs saw their holdings fall by 110t in 2022, down 3% y-o-y and equivalent to outflows of US$3bn.
Gold Outlook 2023: The global economy at a crossroads
The global economy is at an inflection point after being hit by various shocks over the past year. The biggest was induced by central banks as they stepped up their aggressive fight against inflation.
Gold Market Commentary
Gold fell 2% in October on rising bond yields and dollar strength, but it was positively impacted by higher breakeven inflation. But a weaker US dollar vs. euro and lower ETF outflows provided some support
Gold Demand Trends Q3 2022
Gold demand (excluding OTC) in Q3 was 28% higher y-o-y at 1,181t. Year-to-date (y-t-d) demand increased 18% vs the same period in 2021, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Central bank accounting practices for monetary gold - 2022 update
The diversity of monetary gold accounting practices prompted the World Gold Council to undertake a study of central bank monetary gold accounting practices, first published in 2016 and updated in 2022 as Central bank accounting practices for monetary gold – 2022 update. The update adds central banks covered, better aligns practices with accounting frameworks, and expands the number of gold accounting issues covered.
