|

Central banks are stocking up

ByVictoria

They bought over 1,000 tonnes of the precious metal last year, double the average amount purchased in the previous decade, according to a European Central Bank report published on Wednesday.

The authors wrote that global holdings of gold by reserve banks increased to 36,000 metric tons in 2024, close to the record of 38,000 metric tons reached around 60 years ago.

Now, central bank reserves are composed of, on average, the dollar, at 46%, gold, at 20%, other currencies at 18%, and the euro at 16%.

Source – Business Insider

Similar Posts

  • /

    Democratic Republic of Congo proving to be a good investment for China

    ByVictoria
    0 Comments

    Shipments of refined copper from the central African country jumped by 71% year-on-year to 1.48 million metric tons in 2024. The Congo is now by some margin the largest supplier of refined metal to the world’s largest buyer.

    The Congo’s share of Chinese copper imports has risen from 10% in 2020 to 36.7% with volumes steadily increasing over the fourth quarter. December’s imports of 167,735 tons were a new monthly record.

    Source – Reuters

  • / /

    Gold, silver prices plummet in US Fed cuts

    ByVictoria
    0 Comments

    “Gold fell sharply post-Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting as the Fed’s indication of a slower pace of interest rate cuts than previously estimated for the next year,” Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst of Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.

    Silver quoted 2.47 per cent lower at USD 29.98 per ounce in the international markets.

    “Investors are anticipating US weekly unemployment claims data to be released later on Thursday to assess the strength of the labour market, while focusing on the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index data on Friday,” Abans Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer Chintan Mehta said.”

    “We expect gold prices to rise further, but any delay in additional interest rate cuts could lead to short-term declines, creating opportunities for accumulation, Mehta said.”

    Source – Press Trust of India

  • Gold-scammer jailed for 6.5 years

    ByVictoria
    0 Comments

    A California man was sentenced to 6½ years in prison Tuesday for his role in ongoing “government impostor” gold-bar scams that are costing Americans millions every year.

    “This is a national epidemic,” prosecutor Hannah Gleason said in a courtroom in Montgomery County, Maryland, which has been hit hard by the complex frauds. “These are highly organized criminal organizations.”

    The case at hand cost a 64-year-old woman, living in Montgomery’s Leisure World community, $789,000. She had counted on the savings to fund the medical needs of herself and other family members and now fears she may lose her home, Gleason said.

    “She worries about her financial security and financial health,” Gleason said. “This has caused great emotional distress and impact to her, and has led her to believe she can’t trust people.”

    Source – The Washington Post

    Please be careful out there everyone. People are getting scammed everyday and our older community are the targets…usually. It’s really unfortunate for this lady who knows how many others have had this happen to them too. Be safe! – V.

  • / /

    Over the Weekend!

    ByVictoria
    0 Comments

    Bitcoin Lags Behind Gold

    Bitcoin has gained just over 3% year-to-date, trailing gold’s 9% jump, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The precious metal reached a record high of $2,882 an ounce after President Trump on Feb. 4 said the US could take over Gaza — a comment his aides sought to tone down. Bitcoin is currently about 10% below its peak.

    Source – Bloomberg

    Mali gold production  plunges 23%

    Mali’s industrial gold production plunged 23% to 51 metric tons last year from 66.5 tons in 2023, the West African country’s mines ministry said.

    With an estimated 6 tons produced in artisanal mines, Mali’s total gold production in 2024 is expected to reach 58.7 tons, the mines ministry said.

    Source – Reuters

    Michael Oliver says Gold’s Making All-Time Highs, SILVER To Follow

    “I think that once you punch a hole in the stock market… you’re going to have a lot of that money moving,” he predicted, suggesting that a 5-10% drop could trigger a significant shift in investor sentiment, driving capital towards safer havens like gold and silver.

    “Silver didn’t move with commodities in moved with gold,” he asserted, countering arguments that silver has lost its monetary significance.

    Source – The Jerusalem Post / Opinion

  • /

    Copper tariff in effect August 1

    ByVictoria
    0 Comments

    U.S. President Donald Trump sprang a double surprise on the copper market when he announced import tariffs of 50% effective next month.

    The August 1 start date signals the end of the race to ship physical metal to the United States to capture the tariff arbitrage.

    A lucky few with cargoes already afloat may yet cross the finishing line in time, but the physical tariff trade is rapidly unwinding.

    The LME benchmark spread is now in a comfortable contango of $66 per ton, compared with a backwardation of more than $300 per ton at the end of June.

    Source – Reuters