While gold bullion is most often sold in bar or 1oz coin form, the Korean retail market is benefitting from gold’s latest success with a very atypical marketing strategy. It has been traditionally thought that investors prefer larger increments of bullion because they simplify calculations and have a lower transaction cost than buying the same amount of gold in smaller increments. Demand for traditional bars and coins in South Korea rose 27% year on year, but the most interesting development arises from South Korean vending machines and convenience stores.
With the eventual introduction of central bank digital currency (CBDCs) now seemingly inevitable, there are a lot of directions central banks could take with their digital currency projects that would have dramatic implications for the price of gold.
Since Nayib Bukele became president of El Salvador, El Salvador has been in American media and global political discussion more than ever. While much of the attention focuses on Bukele’s mass incarceration of gang members and a decline in homicide of over 70%, Bukele has also drawn attention to his favoritism towards Bitcoin and how he has pushed El Salvador to embrace cryptocurrency.
With gold hitting yet another awe-inspiring all-time high in the wake of Powell’s remarks reassuring markets (more or less) to expect rate cuts in 2024, a few analysts are pointing out risk factors for a correction — so is there really still room to run?
Gold hit a new all-time nominal high, surpassing the previous record set in December of the previous year. The precious metal’s price reached approximately $2,140, indicating a robust and continuing interest in gold as a safe-haven asset, despite a rather peculiar lack of fanfare from the media and retail investors. This latest peak in gold prices was notably recorded without the typical surge in public buying that usually accompanies such milestones. Instead, there has been a consistent outflow from gold ETFs, suggesting that the retail sector has been selling rather than accumulating during this rally.
The gold price has been surging, with unprecedented central bank demand gobbling up supply. It has been a force to behold — especially as US monetary policy has been relatively tight since 2022, and 10-year Treasury yields have rocketed up, which generally puts firm downward pressure on gold against USD.
Total gold demand hit an all-time high in 2023, according to a recent report released by the World Gold Council.
Last week, the World Gold Council (WGC) released its Gold Demand Trends report, which tracks developments in the demand for and use of gold around the world. Excluding over-the-counter (OTC) trade, 2023 gold demand fell slightly from 2022 to just under 4,500 tonnes. With OTC demand accounted for, last year’s demand peaked at 4,899 tonnes, the highest figure ever recorded.
The VIX, often referred to as ‘Wall Street’s fear gauge,‘ is currently portraying a sense of calm among investors, registering well below the 20 level.
Citizens of Georgia, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Kansas may soon enjoy lower taxes on precious metals if recently introduced pro-metal bills are made law in 2024.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released two inflation reports highlighting inflation figures for December 2023. Here’s what they showed: