Gold Market Structure and Trends

This report looks at the future of the gold market in India. It puts in context the market for gold, and examines the strategic outlook for the Indian economy and gold demand over the next decade. There is short discourse on the mythological and cultural significance of gold in India as well as detailed econometric analysis of Indian gold demand from 1980 to 2009.

This report sets out to explain the workings of the gold market with a particular focus on its size and liquidity. Given that central banks invest a majority of their reserves in sovereign debt markets, we compare gold to sovereign debt markets from both of these perspectives.

This report is the first of a new series on the Indian gold market; it provides an analysis of the history, recent developments, and the revival of Indian gold demand during 2010. It details Indian jewellery consumption, investment demand, decorative and industrial demand, gold imports, seasonality and monsoon rains, central bank activity, and recycled gold supply.

Natalie Dempster, Director of Government Affairs, World Gold Council, discusses the role of gold as a partial solution to the eurozone sovereign debt crisis.