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☆ Sen. Bob Menendez allegedly had a stash of gold bars. That’s become a trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Sen. Bob Menendez, allegedly accepted gold bar bribes, prosecutors allege, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment. The value of a kilogram of gold hit a one-year-record high of nearly $66,000 in May, according to data Goldprice.org. If you can invest in gold, why do people want to physically own it? That’s because if, for instance, you invest in a gold ETF, “it’s still tied to the market,” he said. Other people who prefer to keep gold under their own roof store it in a gun safe or floor safe, he added.

Persons: New York CNN — Sen, Bob Menendez, It’s, Menendez didn’t, Jonathan Rose, ” Rose, Rose, Fitch, ”, it’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Genesis Gold, Western Alliance, CNN, World Gold Council, IRS Locations: New York, “, Beverly Hills , California

☆ Investors have shifted to gold by the most since 2012, driven by central banks' buying spree, JPMorgan says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

As central banks pile up gold reserves, investors are also accumulating the precious metal, JPMorgan reports. But its uncertain the central bank momentum will last, with buy ups normalizing last quarter. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, foreign central banks have added to their gold reserves in an effort to be less dependent on the US dollar. However, this could have been due to turmoil in Turkey's local gold market, causing its central bank to increase sales. Central bank demand has driven the commodity's price beyond what would be suggested by real 10-year Treasury yields.

Organizations: JPMorgan, Service, World Gold, outflows Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia, Central

☆ Robust equities erode gold's safe-haven allure as ETF holdings fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Deep Kaushik Vakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) -Receding fears of a U.S. slowdown, surging bond yields and the robust performance of equities have gradually eroded the appeal of exchange-traded funds (ETF) backed by traditional safe-haven gold this year, despite sticky inflation. The biggest ETF, SPDR Gold Trust, saw holdings dwindle to pre-pandemic levels. [GOL/ETF]Investors typically buy gold during times of financial and economic uncertainty and rising inflation. [GOL/]“Gold has fallen into disfavour as a hedge against economic uncertainty for many institutional investors,” said Ross Norman, chief executive of Metals Daily. Equities have outperformed gold despite higher interest rates, while rival safe-haven Treasury bonds have attracted investors away from gold, which doesn’t earn any interest or dividends.

Persons: Ilya Naymushin, ”, Ross Norman, Carsten Menke, Julius Baer, Gold, Philip Newman, Newman, hasn’t Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, World Gold Council, Investors, U.S, Metals Daily, U.S . Federal, Treasury, Metals Locations: U.S, Siberian, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, disfavour, “

Their data showed mercury contamination from informal gold mining making its way into the biodiversity hotspot's mammals — from rodents to ocelots to titi monkeys. Leaders from the eight countries around the Amazon meeting in Brazil next week will discuss how to end illegal gold mining. While the scientists began testing for mercury at Los Amigos in 2021, some of the samples were gathered as early as 2018. During Reuters' visit to Los Amigos, scientists caught rodents in metal traps baited with peanut butter and snagged birds and a bat in mist nets floating through the forest. In 2021, mining arrived on Los Amigos' doorstep.

Persons: Conservación Amazônica, Mrinalini Erkenswick, Erkenswick Watsa, biogeochemist Jacqueline Gerson, there's, it's, Gideon Erkenswick, Jorge Luis Mendoza Silva, Caroline Moore, Moore, Chris Sayers, Jake Spring, Gloria Dickie, Marco Aquino, Oliver Griffin, Katy Daigle, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Los, Biological, Amigos, Reuters, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Projects International, Los Amigos, University of Colorado, REUTERS, Gold Council, USAID, Peruvian, Nature Communications, San Diego Zoo Wildlife, University of California, Thomson Locations: Peru, Peruvian, Peru's, de Dios, Madre de Dios, Brazil, Colombia, California, University of Colorado Boulder, Los Amigos, Dios, Latin America, Congo, Indonesia, University of California Los Angeles, London, Lima, Bogota

☆ Here's how to invest $100,000 right now, according to billionaire Mike Novogratz
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Billionaire Mike Novogratz would put $100,000 in Alibaba stock, silver, gold, ether, and bitcoin. That advice is for young and risk-tolerant investors, he told David Rubenstein on Bloomberg TV. But for more risk-averse investors, Novogratz said they should mainly focus on bonds. I'd be buying silver, gold, bitcoin and ethereum. His preferred assets have made gains year to date, with Alibaba up 12%, gold 7.7%, silver 3.5%, ether 52.5%, and bitcoin 74.4%.

Persons: Mike Novogratz, David Rubenstein, Novogratz, That'd, bitcoin, Larry Fink's, Fundstrat Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Privacy, Galaxy Digital Locations: Wall, Silicon, Beijing, BlackRock

☆ Why substituting cryptocurrency for gold exposure may be a costly mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Lina Hassen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

State Street Global Advisors' George Milling-Stanley, whose firm runs the world's largest gold exchange-traded fund, believes cryptocurrency is no substitute for the real thing due its vulnerability to big losses. Milling-Stanley's firm is behind SPDR Gold Shares , the world's largest physically backed gold ETF. Milling-Stanley believes gold's 6,000-year history as a monetary asset serves as a significant sample basis to understand the benefits of investing in gold. But Milling-Stanley believes the economic backdrop bodes well for gold — recession or not. It's known as the world's largest consumer of gold jewelry behind India, according to the World Gold Council.

Persons: George Milling, Stanley, cryptocurrency, CNBC's, gold's, It's, Gold Organizations: Street Global Advisors, World Gold, it's Locations: China, India, It's Vietnam, it's Indonesia, it's Thailand, Korea

☆ Countries are so spooked by de-dollarization and the Western sanctions against Russia, they are increasingly moving gold assets back home for safekeeping
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

41% of surveyed central banks and sovereign funds expect to increase gold holdings in the next three years. 2 out of 5 cited concerns about their central bank assets being frozen — such as in the case of Russia. Central banks snapped up a record 1,136 metric tons of gold in 2022. But central banks appear to be less willing to keep their physical gold assets in storage overseas, with just under 70% of respondents now keeping the reserves at home. The US dollar has been the world's reserve currency since the Second World War, playing a crucial role in the world's trade and financial system.

Persons: Invesco, we've Organizations: Service, Russia, Gold, West Locations: Russia, Central, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, London

☆ China continues to de-dollarize reserves as gold stockpile climbs for 8th straight month
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China's central bank added 23 tons of gold to its reserves in June, marking an eighth consecutive increase. Now, the People's Bank of China holds 2,330 tons of gold in its reserves, according to official data cited by Bloomberg. The gold stockpiling comes amid the country's bid to erode the dollar's global dominance as well as growing economic and geopolitical uneasiness. According to a World Gold Council report from May, 62% of central banks estimate that gold will make up a greater share of reserves in the next five years. At June's end, the central bank held $3.193 trillion.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, People's Bank of China, Bloomberg, Gold, Official Monetary, Financial, Forum, International Monetary Fund Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Wheaton CEO touts precious metals' staying power, calling gold 'a measure of value that lasts'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Randy Smallwood, the CEO of precious metals streaming company Wheaton, told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday that gold and silver have perpetual power on the market due to their very nature as one of the world's oldest currencies. "I mean that's what gold has been forever, a store of value, a measure of value that lasts," Smallwood said. But Smallwood said the company expects to see 50% growth by 2027, or close to a million gold equivalent ounces. As a streaming company, Wheaton funds mining operations in order to then buy metals at a discount. Although Smallwood is the chair of the World Gold Council, his favorite metal is silver, which is harder to find than its flashy counterpart because there are fewer silver mines in the world, he said.

Persons: Randy Smallwood, CNBC's Jim Cramer, Smallwood, Wheaton, there's Organizations: Wheaton, World Gold Council Locations: Wheaton

☆ China stretched its gold-buying spree into the 7th straight month in May, signaling more central bank de-dollarization
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's not alone in boosting its gold holdings, as central banks shed dollar reserves. The country's central bank purchased 16 tons of the reserve commodity last month, continuing a trend started in November. According to a WGC survey from May, half of central banks expect the dollar's share of reserves to continue sliding, accounting for 40-50% in the next five years. The same survey found that a quarter of central banks intend to add to their gold holdings over the next year. China ended May with $3.18 trillion in foreign currency reserves, compared with April's $3.20 trillion, data from the People's Bank of China showed.

Persons: It's, — Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Gold, China, People's Bank of China Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore

☆ China's economy isn't rebounding as fast as anyone expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While I personally won't be flying internationally anytime soon, we're diving into China's lethargic economy for today's newsletter. The much-anticipated economic rebound hasn't quite materialized for China in the way many had expected. The sluggish recovery has embedded itself in nearly every corner of the world's second-largest economy, even in some of the most obscure commodities markets. The CSI 300 index has slipped over recent weeks, and luxury brands reliant on China's large consumer base have tumbled. What's your outlook on China's economy for the rest of 2023?

Persons: I'm Phil Rosen, Jamie Dimon, Tesla, China Tuul, Bruno Morandi, Rockefeller International's Ruchir Sharma, Nicholas Lardy, Lardy, Filip De Mott, Tweet, Sheldon Cooper, Nordstrom, Goldman Sachs, there's, that's, Phil Rosen, Jason Ma, Nathan Rennolds Organizations: JPMorgan, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Getty, World Gold, Fed, Nvidia, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco Locations: Elon, China, Washington, Shanghai, Shenzhen, . Utah , Colorado, Scottsdale, Saudi, New York, Los Angeles, London

☆ Here are 3 reasons to buy gold, according to UBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold stumbled this month after a strong start to the year. However, UBS Global Wealth Management sees more upside ahead. The precious metal is down about 2% in May, as optimism around a possible U.S. debt ceiling deal grows. "Based on the 1Q23 data from the World Gold Council, central banks are on track to buy around 700 metric tons of gold this year, much higher than the average since 2010 of below 500 metric tons," he wrote. Dollar weakness: The dollar index, which tracks the U.S. currency's performance against six others, is down 0.2% over the past year, which should be supportive for gold prices.

☆ Central bank gold demand hits first-quarter record, investments surge on U.S. banking turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The process of crafting gold is seen at the Krastsvetmet company, one of the world's largest producers of precious metals in Moscow, Russia on January 31, 2023. Demand for gold among central banks notched a first-quarter record high in the three months to the end of March as overall global demand painted an otherwise "mixed picture," according to the World Gold Council. Total gold demand, however, was up 1% from the first quarter of 2022 thanks to a recovery in the OTC market. Louise Street, senior market analyst at the World Gold Council, told CNBC on Thursday that this was a continuation of trends that saw central bank gold buying soar to an 11-year high in 2022. The WGC expects demand among central banks to moderate this year after 2022's spike, though noted that where previous buying had been concentrated in developing markets, more developed financial centers were now increasing their demand.

☆ Gold and mining ETFs are surging as the precious metal flirts with a record high
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Over the past month, the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) has pulled in more than $1 billion of new money, according to FactSet. The iShares Gold Trust (IAU) , SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM) , Abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL) and Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF (AAAU) have pulled in more than $400 million combined. Funds comprised of gold mining stocks have also been popular, with the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) pulling in about $200 million. GDX YTD mountain Gold mining ETFs are rallying in 2023. The gold mining funds from Sprott ( SGDM ) and iShares ( RING ) have seen similarly strong performance.

☆ The dollar's dominance on the world stage isn't going away. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The move makes sense, given Russia's growing status as a pariah state, but it also highlights a push to unseat the dollar as a dominant force in global trade. But to strategists at the Carson Group, a scenario where the dollar isn't the world's primary reserve currency simply isn't in the cards in the near future. Are you convinced that the dollar won't lose its status as a dominant global reserve currency? Some companies in this batch of oil stocks have upsides of up to 180%, according to strategists at Bank of America. An expert from the World Gold Council pointed out that history says gold performs well in a recession.

Nonetheless, the likely ramifications of the bank collapse are positive for gold, which was already being supported by other bullish factors. Charting global gold demand by segment. CHINA, INDIA DEMANDChief among those is the expectation that physical demand will rebound in China, traditionally the world's largest consumer of the precious metal. China's gold jewellery demand slumped 14%, or 101 tonnes, to 598.3 tonnes in 2022, according to data from industry group the World Gold Council. Central bank buying is the wildcard for gold, having risen a strong 152% in 2022 to 1,135.7 tonnes.

☆ Indian jeweller Joyalukkas withdraws $278 mln IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Indian jeweller Joyalukkas has withdrawn its 23 billion rupee ($277.95 million) initial public offering (IPO), a document on the market regulator's website showed on Tuesday. Joyalukkas did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The jeweller, based in the southern Indian state of Kerala, operates showrooms across roughly 68 cities and is one of the biggest jewellery retailers in the country. The IPO's book runners Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd, Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors Ltd, Haitong Securities India, and SBI Capital Markets Ltd also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ($1 = 82.7620 Indian rupees)Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin's war on Ukraine sent Russians scrambling to buy gold and stash their savings, fueling a fivefold surge in demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Demand for gold bars and coins in Russia jumped nearly fivefold last year from 2021. Russia has spurred the switch into gold by restricting sales of foreign currency and scrapping VAT on the yellow metal. The bullion rush was spurred by President Vladimir Putin's move to remove the 20% VAT on gold bars, as well as a central bank decision to restrict foreign-currency transactions. Russian demand for gold bars and coins rose nearly fivefold in 2022 from the previous year, data from the World Gold Council show. But Russia isn't the biggest gold buyer as its demand made up only 2% of the global total last year, World Gold Council data show.

☆ Gold demand surged to an 11-year high in 2022 on 'colossal' central bank buying
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Alexander Manzyuk | ReutersGold demand soared to an 11-year high in 2022 on the back of "colossal central bank purchases, aided by vigorous retail investor buying," according to the World Gold Council. Annual gold demand jumped 18% to 4,741 tons (excluding over-the-counter or OTC trading) across the year, the largest annual figure since 2011, fueled by record fourth-quarter demand of 1,337 tons. "Central bank net purchases in Q4 totalled 417t, lifting H2 total buying to 862t. The majority of the central bank buying in 2022 came from emerging markets, with the Central Bank of Turkey the largest buyer at a record 542 tons. This means that the purchasing power of non-U.S. buyers is reduced and harms global gold demand.

☆ Central banks bought the most gold since 1967 last year, WGC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Central banks bought 1,136 tonnes of gold in 2022Emerging economies were main buyersPurchases predicted to fall next yearTotal global gold demand highest since 2011LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Central banks added a whopping 1,136 tonnes of gold worth some $70 billion to their stockpiles in 2022, by far the most of any year since 1967, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Tuesday. Gold also enables central banks to diversify away from assets like U.S. Treasuries and the dollar. Charting the change in global central bank gold holdings since 1950. But around two-thirds of the gold bought by central banks last year was not reported publicly, the WGC said. The central bank purchases took total gold global gold demand last year to 4,741 tonnes, up 18% from 2021 and the highest for any year since 2011.

☆ Gold prices seen rising towards record highs as rate rises near end
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Peter Hobson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Fast-rising interest rates hammered gold prices last year, kicking them as low as $1,613.60 in September from a high of $2,069.89 in March - just shy of a record peak in 2020. ,Charting gold prices, the U.S. dollar index and U.S. inflation-adjusted 10-year bond yields. The weakening U.S. currency and bond yields "will become macro tailwinds for the yellow metal, pushing gold above $2,000/oz in the coming months," said analysts at Bank of America. Speculators who in November were betting gold prices would fall have amassed a net long position in COMEX futures of 8.3 million ounces of gold, worth $16 billion, helping push up prices. Charting gold prices and technical indicatorsReporting by Peter Hobson; Editing by Pratima Desai and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Gold prices are surging as investors bet on slower Fed rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Gold is shining once again, as investors bet that cooling inflation in the United States will slow the pace of Fed rate hikes and make the precious metal more attractive. Gold prices slumped in April last year as the US Federal Reserve started to hike interest rates in a bid to tame runaway inflation. But the market is increasingly expecting the Fed to temper US rate hikes as consumer prices increases slow, boosting demand for gold. During the coronavirus pandemic in August 2020, gold prices hit an all-time high of £2,072. That could make gold more appealing now that yields and the dollar are less of a negative factor,” he told CNN.

☆ Gold prices steady as focus shifts to Powell's speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Ashitha Shivaprasad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies U.S. CPI report due on ThursdayHawkish tone from Fed could prompt profit-taking - analystJan 10 (Reuters) - Gold prices were steady on Tuesday, with cautious traders largely focusing on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech for insights into the U.S. central bank's rate-hike trajectory. Spot gold held its ground at $1,872.79 per ounce, as of 0333 GMT. Investors' focus is on Powell's speech at a central bank conference later in the day. "Gold prices are hitting a key resistance at the $1,875 level ... A hawkish tone in Fed Chair Powell's speech later today could prompt some near-term profit-taking in gold," said IG Market strategist Yeap Jun Rong. "However, market is on the watch for a downside surprise in the U.S. CPI to support the less-hawkish rate-hike expectations, which could translate to upside for gold prices."

☆ Gold at $4,000? Analysts share their 2023 outlook as inflation, recession fears linger
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gold prices could surge to $4,000 per ounce in 2023 as interest rate hikes and recession fears keep markets volatile, said Juerg Kiener, managing director and chief investment officer of Swiss Asia Capital. There is a good chance the gold market sees a major move, he said, adding "it's not going to be just 10% or 20%," but a move that will "really make new highs." According to the World Gold Council, central banks bought 400 tonnes of gold in the third quarter, almost doubling the previous record of 241 tonnes during the same period in 2018. Kiener also said investors would look to gold with inflation remaining high in many parts of the world. "Gold is a very good inflation hedge, a great catch during stagflation and a great add onto a portfolio."

☆ Factbox: Russian gold taken out of exchange-traded fund stockpiles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Peter Hobson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In an analysis about investors shunning Russian gold, Reuters examined lists of gold bars owned by eleven large funds. By late November, the proportion of Russian gold in the stockpiles of eight had fallen. SPDR Gold MiniShares, whose gold is stored by ICBC Standard, saw an almost 50% fall in the amount of Russian gold it holds. Russian gold bars refined before March 7 this year are still eligible to own and trade, it said. GRANITESHARESGraniteShares said it did not distinguish between different brands of good delivery gold including pre-war Russian gold, and that it had not asked its custodian, ICBC Standard, to reduce its holdings of Russian bullion.

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