Research library

Wahed is the world’s first automated investing service for the US$2 trillion Shari’ah investment market. Based in the US with a growing international footprint, Wahed gives retail investors access to low-cost, diversified, Halal portfolios. Global Head of Portfolios Samim Abedi explains the inspiration behind Wahed and why gold is such an integral part of its offer.

Gold demand lifted by central banks and ETFs. This compares with a relatively weak Q1 2018, when demand sank to a three-year low of just 984.2t. Central bank buying continued apace: global gold reserves grew by 145.5t.

Since the start of 2016, assets in European gold-backed exchange traded products (ETPs) have grown rapidly, hitting a record high of 1,121.4t (US$48bn) in Q1 2019.

Following the launch of the AAOIFI Shari’ah Standard on Gold in 2016, we have engaged with Islamic banks and financial institutions to develop the market for Shari’ah-compliant gold-backed products. As part of this we undertook research to understand how investors view Islamic finance, their attitudes towards gold, and preferences for gold-backed products.

The upcoming Fed meeting could provide clarity into the intermediate-term price behavior of gold. As uncertainty becomes more prevalent in the future behavior of the Federal Reserve, we examine whether there is any correlation with monetary policy uncertainty/behavior and gold prices.

Gold is a highly liquid yet scarce asset, and it is no one’s liability. It is bought as a luxury good as much as an investment.

Following the launch of the AAOIFI Shari’ah Standard on Gold in 2016, we have engaged with Islamic banks and financial institutions to develop the market for Shari’ah-compliant gold-backed products. As part of this, we conducted detailed qualitative and quantitative research across four predominantly Muslim markets: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.

2018 was a very active year across all of our key programmes with many significant events occurring in the market. From major policy announcements through to renewed gold buying from particular quarters, the year was a true reflection of the diversity of what we strive to achieve.

In January 2009, the world was in the grip of the Global Financial Crisis. Markets were in turmoil, economies were falling into recession, policymakers were panicking.

Gold demand in 2018 reached 4,345.1t, up from 4,159.9t in 2017. This was exactly in line with five-year average demand of 4,347.5t.